Show ContentsArends History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Arends family

The surname Arends was first found in Bavaria, where the family was anciently associated with the political and religious conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. The family established numerous branches as family members acquired manors and estates in surrounding regions, where they contributed to the prosperity of their society. The name originated in the central German regions as a variation of the southern German "Arndt" and the northern German "Arnold."

Early History of the Arends family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arends research. Another 210 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1621, 1779, 1792, 1809, 1825 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Arends History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arends Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ahrends, Ahrens, Arens, Ahren, Aren, Ahrren, Ahrrens, Ahrenz and many more.

Early Notables of the Arends family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arends Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arends World Ranking

In the United States, the name Arends is the 11,601st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] However, in Netherlands, the name Arends is ranked the 193rd most popular surname with an estimated 6,363 people with that name. [2] And in South Africa, the name Arends is the 806th popular surname with an estimated 8,622 people with that name. [3]


United States Arends migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Arends Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bernh Arends, who arrived in America in 1844 [4]
  • Johanna Gert Arends, who landed in America in 1850 [4]
  • Etje Arends, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1857 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Arends (post 1700) +

  • Leslie Cornelius Arends (1895-1985), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1935-74; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1972 [5]
  • John Henry Arends, American Republican politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1899-1901; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1908 [5]
  • Henry Arends (1878-1953), American politician, Mayor of Everett, Washington, 1944-52 [5]
  • Brett Arends, American writer and journalist
  • Leopold Alexander Friedrich Arends (1817-1882), German stenographer and inventor of a system of stenography extensively used on the Continent
  • Jan Arends (1738-1805), Dutch painter of landscapes and marine subjects
  • Henri Arends (1921-1993), Dutch conductor


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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