Show ContentsWainer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Wainer name was coined by the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Wainer was originally a name given to someone who worked as a wainwright or wagon builder. The surname Wainer is derived from the Old English word wægnwyrhta, which means wainwright. [1] [2]

"Wain is an old, but nearly obsolete, word for wagon. In Sussex, a shed in which wagons stand is called a wain-house or ' wen-hus,' and in some parts of England a wagoner is called a wain-man, whence the surname Wenman. Nor must we forget the constellation, Charles's Wain. A Wainwright was therefore synonymous with Cartwright and Wheelwright, also English surnames, and signified a builder of wagons." [1]

Early Origins of the Wainer family

The surname Wainer was first found in Worcestershire where they were Lords of the manor of Dudelei from very ancient times, and it is possible that they are interrelated with the Norman Baron William FitzAnsculf whose castle was in Dudley.

One of the earliest records of the name was Alimar Wanwrecthe who was listed in Essex in 1237. Adam the Waynwrith was listed in Yorkshire in 1285 and Alan le Waynwright was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1285. [2]

Early History of the Wainer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wainer research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1568, 1577, 1592 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Wainer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wainer Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Wainer are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Wainer include: Wainwright, Waynewright, Wainright, Wayn and others.

Early Notables of the Wainer family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wainer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Wainer migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Wainer or a variant listed above:

Wainer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Gutlip Wainer, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Wainer (post 1700) +

  • Alejandro Rojas Wainer (1945-2018), Chilean-Canadian academic


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)


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