Show ContentsRencher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Rencher arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rencher family lived in Cambridgeshire, at Wrench.

Early Origins of the Rencher family

The surname Rencher was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Haddenham. Conjecturally they are descended from one of seven Freemen who held this village from the Abbot of Ely. Haddenham was included in the Domesday Book, [1] a census taken in 1086 and initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Rencher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rencher research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rencher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rencher Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Rench, Wrench, Renche, Wrenche and others.

Early Notables of the Rencher family

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

Rencher Ranking

In the United States, the name Rencher is the 14,204th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Migration of the Rencher family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Rencher or a variant listed above: Ann Wrench who settled in Virginia in 1641; William Wrench settled in Barbados in 1635; Simon Rench settled in Virginia in 1660.


Contemporary Notables of the name Rencher (post 1700) +

  • Ronald L. Rencher, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Utah, 1977-81 [3]
  • Guy Rencher, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1912 [3]
  • Abraham Rencher (1798-1883), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from North Carolina 10th District, 1829-39, 1841-43; U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Portugal, 1844-47; Governor of New Mexico Territory, 1857-61 [3]


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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