Wren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Wren family
The surname Wren was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from early times, and were originally descended from Ralph de Raines who was granted lands by William, Duke of Albany in that shire. They were originally from Rennes in Normandy where they also held lands from their Lord, William de Aubigny of Belvoir.
The famed architect Sir Christopheer Wren (1632-1723), was born at East Knoyle, near Tisbury, Wiltshire.
Early History of the Wren family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wren research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1553, 1585, 1624, 1632, 1634, 1635, 1638, 1666, 1667, 1692 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Wren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wren Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wren, Wrenn and others.
Early Notables of the Wren family
Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was
- Matthew Wren (1585-1667), English divine, Bishop of Ely, eldest son of Francis Wren (1553-1624), mercer, of London
- Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), one of the best known and highest acclaimed English architects in history, responsible for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666...
- Ralph Wrenn (d. 1692), was an English naval Commodore
Wren Ranking
In the United States, the name Wren is the 2,698th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1
Wren migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wren Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Peter Wren, who landed in Maryland in 1657 2
- James Wren, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 2
- Eliz Wren, who landed in Virginia in 1666 2
Wren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Jane Wren, who settled in New York in 1820 with her four children
- Mary Wren, aged 24, who arrived in America in 1829 2
- Bryan Wren, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1848 2
- Marshal Wren, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1854 2
- Susanah Wren, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1854 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wren migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wren Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Miles Wren U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 3
Wren Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Sarah Wren, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "William" from Cork, Ireland
- Mr. Patrick Wren, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 4
Wren migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Wren Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Wren, British Convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
- Mr. William Wren, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
- Edward Wren, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 7
- Mr. James Wren, English convict who was convicted in Bedfordshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
- Edmund Wren, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Abberton" in 1846 9
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wren migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Wren Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Thomas Wren, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
- Mr. James Wren, (b. 1824), aged 33, British agricultural labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 10
- Mrs. Emma Wren, (b. 1825), aged 32, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 10
- Mr. Thomas Avery Wren, (b. 1852), aged 5, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 10
- C. T. Wren, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Wren (post 1700) +
- Thomas Wren (1826-1904), American politician, United States Representative from Nevada (1877 to 1879)
- Martha Kay "M. K." Wren (b. 1938), American author
- Franklin "Frank" Wren (b. 1958), American Major League Baseball executive, general manager of the Atlanta Braves
- Robert Duffield "Bob" Wren (1873-1925), American tennis player, four-time U.S. singles championship winner
- Matthew Wren (1585-1667), English clergyman and scholar
- Sir Christopher Wren FRS (1632-1723), English architect and scientist
- Alan Wren (b. 1964), English rock drummer of The Stone Roses
- Percival Christopher "P.C." Wren (1875-1941), British novelist best known for "Beau Geste," about life in the French Foreign Legion
- Robert "Bob" Wren (b. 1974), Canadian NHL ice hockey player
- John Wren (1871-1953), Australian businessman whose life was fictionalized in Frank Hardy's novel "Power Without Glory"
Historic Events for the Wren family +
HMS Royal Oak
- Victor G. Wren (1900-1939), British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 12
SS Atlantic
- John Wren, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 60)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ABBERTON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Abberton.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
- Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html