First found in Oxfordshire where they were seated since the arrival of their Norman ancestors with Duke William the Conqueror in 1066. The name, being of Norman origin comes from an Old French word: "roncin," meaning "workhorse." Undoubtedly of occupational origin, the name was probably given to someone who tended to workhorses. Another possibility is that it was given to a "workhorse" of a person, ie one who did hard physical labor for a living.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John T. Runcie, who arrived in New York in 1840; James Runciman, who came to Michigan sometime between 1845 and 1848; John Runciman, who settled in Ohio in 1851.

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