Contents [hide]

Pender History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Pender History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Pender

What does the name Pender mean?

Pender is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who worked as the Pinder which referred to the individual who impounded stray cattle. During the Middle Ages there was rampant theft of livestock, which made the Pinder a very important member of the community. 1 The variant Pounder was used interchangeably with Pinder. 2

Early Origins of the Pender family

The surname Pender was first found in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire where the name has appeared "for six centuries, and occurs in both counties as Le Pinder in the reign of Edward I." 3

"The Pindar (or Pinder) of Wakefield (George a Green) is the subject of one of the Robin Hood ballads. "

"She doth not only think of lusty Robin Hood, But of his merry man, the Pindar of the Town Of Wakefield, George a Greene.- Drayton, Poly-Olbion, xxviii, 70-2." 2

Interestingly, the Hundredorum Rolls had only two entries for the family and both were in the aforementioned counties: Hugh le Pinder, Lincolnshire; and Walter le Pinder, Nottinghamshire. 1 The Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi listed John le Pindere while the Writs of Parliament c. 1300 listed Henry le Pynder

Early History of the Pender family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pender research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1538, 1565, 1650, 1680, 1693, 1694, 1705 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Pender History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pender Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Pender has appeared include Pinder, Pynder, Pyndar, Pendar, Pindar, Pinner, Pinter, Pender and many more.

Early Notables of the Pender family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Paul Pindar (c. 1565-1650), English diplomat, born at Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. "The family is said to have been long resident in Wellingborough." 4Sir Peter Pindar, of Idinshaw...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pender Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pender Ranking

In the United States, the name Pender is the 4,716^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Pender migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Pender arrived in North America very early:

Pender Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edzard Pender, who landed in Virginia in 1726 6
Fredrich Pender, aged 33, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 6
Mathias Pender, who landed in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1740 6
Jacob Pender, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 6

Pender Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Pender, aged 17, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1845 6
Thomas Pender, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1845 6
Joseph Pender, aged 25, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1845 6
John and Bridget Pender, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1850
John Pender, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1864 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pender Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Arthur Pender, (b. 1881), aged 24, Cornish carpenter, from Mousehole, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th March 1905 en route to Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA 7

Pender migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pender Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Elenor Pender, who landed in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1807 8
John Pender, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1831 8
Mary Pender, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1836

Pender migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pender Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Pender, (Pendergast), (b. 1816), aged 22, Irish solder born in County Laois (Queens County), Ireland who was convicted in Kent, England for 15 years for assault, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. James Pender, (b. 1804), aged 40, Irish ploughman who was convicted in County Laois (Queens County), Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Patrick Pender, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Europa" 11
Eliza Pender, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
Margaret Pender, aged 17, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pender migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pender Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Pender, (b. 1850), aged 24, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Varuna" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th May 1874 12
Mrs. Margaret Pender, (b. 1852), aged 22, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Varuna" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th May 1874 12
Mr. Robert Pender, (b. 1873), aged 10 months, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Varuna" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th May 1874 12
James W. Pender, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1879
Mr. Jason W. Pender, (b. 1856), aged 22, Cornish settler departing on 15th October 1878 aboard the ship "Maraval" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th January 1879 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Pender (post 1700) +

Joseph William "Dad" Pender (1875-1969), American football coach and university professor
David Pender (b. 1987), American football cornerback
Harold Pender (1879-1959), American academic, author, and inventor
Melvin "Mel" Pender Jr. (b. 1937), former American Olympic athlete
William Dorsey Pender (1834-1863), American soldier, one of the youngest and most promising generals fighting for the Confederacy; he was mortally wounded on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg
Mark "The Loveman" Pender (b. 1957), American trumpet player and vocalist
Tom Pender (b. 1945), retired American college basketball head coach
Paul Pender (1930-2003), American middleweight boxer
Mike Pender (b. 1942), English founding member of Merseybeat group the Searchers
John Patrick Pender (b. 1963), retired English professional footballer who played from 1981 to 1999
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pender family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Anna Pender (1913-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14

USS Indianapolis

Welburn Morton Pender, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 15

The Pender Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ex fide fortis
Motto Translation: Strong though faith.

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Europa 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Auckland 1872-80 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew