Rench History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Rench is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rench family lived in Cambridgeshire, at Wrench.

Early Origins of the Rench family

The surname Rench was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Haddenham. Conjecturally they are descended from one of seven Freemen who held this village from the Abbot of Ely. Haddenham was included in the Domesday Book, 1 a census taken in 1086 and initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Rench family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rench research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rench History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rench Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Rench are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Rench include Rench, Wrench, Renche, Wrenche and others.

Early Notables of the Rench family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Wrench of Cambridge

Rench migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Rench, or a variant listed above:

Rench Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Simon Rench, who settled in Virginia in 1660
Robert Rench, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 2

Rench Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Rench, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Richard Rench, who landed in Arkansas in 1886 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Rench (post 1700) +

Richard E. Rench (b. 1941), American politician, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1983-1992)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)