Contents [hide]

Rennie History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Rennie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Rennie

What does the name Rennie mean?

A family of Strathclyde-Briton were the first to use the name Rennie. They lived in De Reiney, or Rigny, in Champagne, France. "Hagebert de Rigneio, in 1101, witnessed a charter of the Bishop of Tulle, and may have been the same that possessed lands in Essex in 1086 1 Roger de Reigny witnessed a charter of Bishop Roger of Sarum, temp. Hen. I., and Robert de Reigny held five fees in Devon in 1165." 2 Newton-Reigny, in the Forest of Inglewood, was their seat in Cumberland. 3

Early Origins of the Rennie family

The surname Rennie was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

"The Ranys or Rennys were extensive owners of land in the district of Craig in Angus from the middle of the fifteenth century, and the Rennies of Usan were recognized as an old family. Symon Renny was bailie of Inverkeithing in 1362. John Rayny, pelliparius, was burgess of Stirling in 1436." 4

Early History of the Rennie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rennie research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1402, 1409, 1526, 1572, 1592, 1798 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rennie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rennie Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Rennie has appeared as Rayney, Rainy, Rainey, Rainnie, Rennie, Renny and many more.

Early Notables of the Rennie family

More information is included under the topic Early Rennie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rennie World Ranking

In the United States, the name Rennie is the 9,092^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Rennie is ranked the 689^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,035 people with that name. 6 And in the United Kingdom, the name Rennie is the 864^th popular surname with an estimated 7,879 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Rennie family to Ireland

Some of the Rennie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rennie migration to the United States +

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:

Rennie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mareon Rennie, who landed in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 8
Marian Rennie, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 8
Marion Rennie, who settled in New Jersey in 1686

Rennie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Rennie, who settled in Georgia in 1754

Rennie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adam Rennie, who landed in New York in 1846 8
William Rennie, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1878 8
John Rennie, who arrived in Arkansas in 1881 8
Albert Rennie, who settled in Michigan in 1883

Rennie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rennie Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Rennie, aged 25, a merchant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Sir Robert H. Dick" from Liverpool, England

Rennie migration to Australia +

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

Rennie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Rennie, Scottish farmer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 9
William Rennie, a shoemaker, who arrived in Van Diemenâ€™s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Benjamin Rennie who was convicted in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Matthew Rennie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Edward Rennie, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rennie 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:

Alexander Rennie, aged 36, a farm servant, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Anne Auld Rennie, aged 8, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Margaret Rennie, aged 8, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850

Rennie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Rennie, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Blundell" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1848 13
Mr. John Rennie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 13
Mr. George Rennie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 13
Miss Mary Rennie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Strathfieldsaye" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 29th April 1858 14
Mr. William Rennie, (b. 1831), aged 29, English sawyer from Durham travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rennie (post 1700) +

John Rennie (b. 1959), American editor-in-chief of Scientific American
Gaye Rennie (b. 1949), American model
Ysabel Rennie, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1964 15
John T. Rennie, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Durban, 1905 15
H. M. Rennie, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Sydney, 1897-98 15
Alexander H. Rennie, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Durban, 1898 15
James Rennie FRS (1787-1867), Scottish naturalist, son of Thomas Rennie (or Rainey) of Aldenholme, Sorn, Ayrshire
Alex Rennie (1948-2018), Scottish football player and manager; he played from 1964 to 1978 and managed from 1980 to 1987
William Cowan "Willie" Rennie (b. 1967), Scottish politician, current Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
William Rennie (1821-1896), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross
... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rennie family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Bertha May Rennie (1887-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
Master William Henry Rennie (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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