Show ContentsRenee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Scotland, Renee was a Strathclyde-Briton name for someone who 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 Renee family

The surname Renee 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 Renee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Renee 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 Renee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Renee Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Renee has been spelled Rayney, Rainy, Rainey, Rainnie, Rennie, Renny and many more.

Early Notables of the Renee family

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

Ireland Migration of the Renee family to Ireland

Some of the Renee 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.


United States Renee migration to the United States +

Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:

Renee Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Boorman Renee, who arrived in New York in 1796 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Renee (post 1700) +

  • Luther Felix Renee (b. 1948), American politician, Member of Virgin Islands legislature from St. Croix, 2003-; Defeated (Independent), 2000 6
  • Ashley Renee Litton (b. 1983), American beauty queen from Missouri who held the Miss Missouri USA title in 2004
  • Madelyn Renee Cline (b. 1997), American actress and model, known for her roles as Sarah Elizabeth Cameron on the Netflix teen drama series Outer Banks (2020-) and as Whiskey in Rian Johnson's mystery film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
  • Traci Renee Braxton (1971-2022), American singer, reality television personality, and radio personality
  • Michelle Renee Clunie (b. 1969), American actress
  • Mrs. Sarah Renee Starbuck B.E.M. (b. 1953), British Cleaner for School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to Higher Education 7
  • LaShell Renee Griffin (b. 1968), American gospel musician
  • Brittany Renee Finamore, American actress, known for her work in Things Behind the Sun (2001), Forget Me Not (2009) and Pulse 3 (2008)
  • Shelli Renee Yoder (b. 1968), American business manager, educator, politician and former model, Miss Indiana (1992), Member of the Monroe County, Indiana County Council from the 1st district (2013)
  • Leah Renee Cudmore (b. 1985), Canadian actress and singer


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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