Contents [hide]

Werner History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Werner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Werner is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from Warnier, a Germanic personal name. It is composed of two elements: warin, which means guard; and hari, which means soldier. Alternatively, the name could have been "an ancient baptismal name, written in Domesday Warnerus and Warnerius." 1

Early Origins of the Werner family

The surname Werner was first found in Leicestershire where they were recorded in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086 as Warnerus and Warnerius. 1

Warner or Garnier (fl. 1106), was a writer of homilies and a monk of Westminster. "He is called 'homeliarius,' and dedicated a volume of homilies to his abbot, Gilbert Crispin. " 2

Warnerus de Lusoriis was listed in Oxfordshire in 1140 and a few years later, Warnerus de Campania was listed c. 1160 in London. Robert Warnier was listed the in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset in 1196. 3

Years later, Richard le Warner was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

Early History of the Werner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Werner research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1511, 1519, 1558, 1565, 1580, 1581, 1609, 1624, 1628, 1637, 1638, 1642, 1649, 1659, 1666, 1667, 1670, 1676, 1677, 1681, 1692 and 1813 are included under the topic Early Werner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Werner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Werner have been found, including Warner, Warnar, Warnere and others.

Early Notables of the Werner family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Edward Warner (1511-1565), Lieutenant of the Tower, the elder son of Henry Warner (d. 1519) of Besthorpe, Norfolk; William Warner (c. 1558-1609) English poet; Sir Thomas Warner (1580-1649), English explorer, famous for settling on Saint Kitts, the first English colony in 1624; John Warner (1581-1666), an English Royalist churchman, Bishop...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Werner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Werner Ranking

In the United States, the name Werner is the 1,056^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Werner is ranked the 2,410^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Werner family to Ireland

Some of the Werner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Werner migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Werner, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Werner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christoff Werner, who immigrated to America with his wife and son in 1709
Hendrig Werner, who landed in New York in 1709 7
Maria Magdalena Werner, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1710 7
Christopher Werner, who arrived in New York State in 1710 at the age of 35
Christopher Werner, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1710 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Werner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Carl Werner, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 7
Friedrich Werner, aged 60, who arrived in America in 1839 7
Karl Wilhelm Werner, aged 42, who arrived in America in 1839 7
John Werner, aged 39, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 7
Balthasar Werner, aged 23, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Werner Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Nels Nelsen Werner, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1914 7

Werner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Werner Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Conrade Werner, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Elizabeth Werner, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Contemporary Notables of the name Werner (post 1700) +

Peter H. Werner (1947-2023), American Academy Award winning and four-time Primetime Emmy nominated film and television director, known for Moonlighting (1985-1986), LBJ: Early Years (1987), and In the Region of Ice (1976)
Mary Leach Werner, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 2008 8
Theodore B. Werner (1892-1989), American politician
Buddy Werner (1936-1964), American alpine skier in the 1950s and 1960s
Eberhard Werner (1966-2023), German anthropologist and linguist from the region of Swabia
Götz Wolfgang Werner (1944-2022), German businessman and popular advocate of universal basic income who had an estimated his net worth to be around €1.1 billion, making him the 109th-richest German
Markus Werner (b. 1944), German-speaking Swiss writer
Wendelin Werner (b. 1968), French mathematician, winner of the Fields medal (2006)
Franz Werner (1867-1939), Austrian herpetologist and entomologist
C. W. Otto Werner (1879-1936), German physician who discovered a premature aging condition he named Werner syndrome
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Werner family +

Bismarck

Kurt Werner (1922-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
Alfred Werner (1917-1941), German Matrosenhauptgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9

The Werner Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non nobis tantum nati
Motto Translation: We are not born for ourselves alone.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details