Ender History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Ender family

The surname Ender was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Castle of Bottreaux. One source notes the name "was originally spelt Hendower, and that the Hendowers are said to have originated in Wales; that the elder branch became extinct about temp. Hen. VIII, but that younger branches, who had abbreviated the name to Hender, were living near Camelsford a few years since. The name in both Welsh and Cornish might translate 'old water' " 1

The first record of the family was found quite late: "The last male heir of the Borlase family sold the manor of Borlase Burgess in 1559, to John Hender, Esq. whose heiress carried it in marriage to the ancestor of Sir A. O. Molesworth, Bart, the present proprietor." This citation was found in Cornish records for the manors in the parish of St. Weyn. Later there was a marriage record of the "grandson of Richard Robartes who married a co-heiress of Hender of Bottreaux Castle, and was created a Baronet in 1621, and in 1625 a peer, bearing the title of Lord Robartes of Truro." 2

The Hinder variant is unique to the United States. 3

Early History of the Ender family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ender research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1142, 1149, 1510, 1600 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Ender History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ender Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Hender, Henter, Ender and others.

Early Notables of the Ender family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

the Hender family of Cornnwall

Ender migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Ender:

Ender Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gerge Ender, who settled in Philadelphia in 1742
Caspar Ender, who landed in New York, NY in 1782 4

Ender Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christoph Ender, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1852 4
William Ender, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ender (post 1700) +

Tom Ender, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1998 5
John C. Ender, American politician, Village President of Deerfield, Illinois, 1903 5
Erwin Josef Ender (1937-2022), German prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
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 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html