Ren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Ren family

The surname Ren was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from early times, and were originally descended from Ralph de Raines who was granted lands by William, Duke of Albany in that shire. They were originally from Rennes in Normandy where they also held lands from their Lord, William de Aubigny of Belvoir.

The famed architect Sir Christopheer Wren (1632-1723), was born at East Knoyle, near Tisbury, Wiltshire.

Early History of the Ren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ren research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1553, 1585, 1624, 1632, 1634, 1635, 1638, 1666, 1667, 1692 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Ren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ren Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wren, Wrenn and others.

Early Notables of the Ren family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Matthew Wren (1585-1667), English divine, Bishop of Ely, eldest son of Francis Wren (1553-1624), mercer, of London
Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), one of the best known and highest acclaimed English architects in history, responsible for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666...
Ralph Wrenn (d. 1692), was an English naval Commodore

Ren migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ren Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bernard Ren, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 1

Ren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Ren, who landed in New York in 1842 1
James Ren, aged 30, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1844 1

Ren migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ren Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lawrence Ren, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Contemporary Notables of the name Ren (post 1700) +

Shandi Ren Finnessey (b. 1978), American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress, Miss America 2003
Ren Goobie, Newfoundland co-founder of Newfoundland Aero Sales and Services Inc in 1945 which later became Maritime Central Airways in 1963
Major-General Ren Lévy (1879-1958), French Head of Intendant Service, 6th Military Region (1936) 2
General Ren de Hesdin (1890-1966), French General Officer Commanding 4th Moroccan Mountain Division (1944-1945) 3
Brigadier-General Ren Darde (1884-1961), French General Officer Commanding 17th Light Division (1940) 4
Brigadier-General Ren Coignerai (1884-1960), French Commanding Officer during World War II 5
Brigadier-General Ren Cauquetou (1891-1951), French Commanding Officer during World War II 6

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Ren LÃ©vy. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/L%C3%A9vy/Ren%C3%A9/France.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Ren Hesdin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hesdin/Ren%C3%A9_de/France.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Ren Darde. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Darde/Ren%C3%A9-Albert/France.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Ren Coignerai. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Coignerai/Ren%C3%A9-Marie-Adolphe/France.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Ren Cauquetou. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cauquetou/Ren%C3%A9/France.html