Arneson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The earliest origins of the name Arneson date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the personal name Agnes, which itself is derived from the Greek name Hagne, which means pure and holy. The name was also used in the Latin phrase Agnus Dei, which means lamb of God. The personal name Agnes was popularized by devotees, the early Christian martyr, Saint Agnes. 1

The name could have been an occupational name as one source notes it was "the old word for body-armour. Hence Lightharness, and the French Beauhamois, or 'fair harness.'' 2

Early Origins of the Arneson family

The surname Arneson was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where the name was found as a forename and surname: Robert filius Harneis, Lincolnshire; John filius Hernici, Lincolnshire; Roger Herneys, Norfolk; John Harneys, Cambridgeshire; and Heme' de Stano, Suffolk. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Robert Arnys; Robertus Arnis; Johanna Ernys; and Robert Hernays. 3

The name is a "well-known Lincolnshire surname to-day, and found there six centuries ago." 3

Early History of the Arneson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arneson research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1384, 1402, 1790, 1804, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1832, 1834, 1850, 1854, 1855, 1869 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Arneson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arneson Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Arneson include Anniss, Anness, Arness, Annison, Arnison, Annes, Ennis and many more.

Early Notables of the Arneson family

Notables of the family at this time include Dom João Anes (João Eanes), died 1402, bishop (since 1384), first Archbishop of Lisbon; Annis of Nottingham.William Harness (1790-1869), was the author of a 'Life of Shakespeare,' born near Wickham in Hampshire on 14 March 1790, was son of John Harness, M.D., commissioner of transports, and elder brother of Sir Henry Drury Harness. 4Sir Henry Drury Harness (1804-1883), the British general, colonel-commandant royal engineers, son of John Harness, Esq., M.D., Commissioner of the Transport Board, was born in 1804. Harness passed high out of the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1825, but...
Another 149 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arneson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arneson Ranking

In the United States, the name Arneson is the 9,476^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Arneson family to Ireland

Some of the Arneson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arneson migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Arneson or a variant listed above:

Arneson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gustave Arneson, who landed in Wisconsin in 1920 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Arneson (post 1700) +

Mark Edward Arneson (1949-2023), American NFL football linebacker for the St. Louis Cardinals (1972-1980)
Roy Arneson, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1964 7
John Arneson, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 34th District, 1962 7
J. S. Arneson, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1916 7
Gary Arneson (b. 1972), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 2004 7
David Arneson, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Plymouth, Minnesota, 2006 7
Arne Arneson, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 2nd District, 1873 7
Alef O. Arneson (1856-1938), American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 30th District, 1891-92; Member of South Dakota State Senate 27th District, 1899-1900, 1909-12 7

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html