Reyner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The rich and ancient history of the Reyner family name dates back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from the baptismal name Rainer, which was taken from the Old Germanic name Raginhari which means counsel and army. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Reyner family

The surname Reyner was first found in Herefordshire. The name was first recorded as Raynerus (Rainerus), a tenant in chief in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 A few years later Reynerus cancellarius was listed in Norfolk in 1101-1125 and Ricardus filius Rainer was listed at Winton in Hampshire in 1148. 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the name as a personal name: Reyner le Blake in Norfolk; and Reyner Custance in Norfolk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Anabilla Rayner and Thomas Rayner. 3

Early History of the Reyner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reyner research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1400, 1589, 1600, 1610, 1651 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Reyner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reyner 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 Reyner have been found, including Rayners, Rainor, Rayner, Raynor, Rainer, Raynar, Rainyer, Reyner, Rauner, Raener, Rainar, Raynere, Raynars, Raynors, Raynore, Raynare, Raynair and many more.

Early Notables of the Reyner family

Distinguished members of the family include

Edward Reyner (Rayner) (1600-c.1668), an English nonconforming clergyman, known as a devotional writer, born in the parish of Morley, near Leeds. Tobie Matthew, Archbishop of York, took some notice of...
Clement Reyner (1589-1651) was Abbot of Lambspring or Lansperg in Germany. Born in Yorkshire in 1589, he made his profession as a Benedictine monk in the monastery of St. Laurence at Dieulward in Lorr...

Reyner 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 Reyner, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Reyner Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Reyner, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1635 4
Miss Ann Reyner, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 5
Mr. Humphrey Reyner, (b. 1598), aged 40, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 5
Miss Martha Reyner, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 5
Mrs. Mary Reyner, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Reyner (post 1700) +

Harry Reyner, American politician, Honorary Consul for Costa Rica at Norfolk, 1909 6

Historic Events for the Reyner family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Arthur Reyner, British Leading Seaman Able Bodied, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 7

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html