Show ContentsCordner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Cordner reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Cordner family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Cordner is a name for a maker or purveyor of cord or ribbon. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old French word corde, which means cord.

In some cases an English local name, also a form of Cardon. The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes Ralph, Richard, Robert, Paganus Cardon, or Cardun, were of Normandy, 1180-95. [1]

Early Origins of the Cordner family

The surname Cordner was first found in Essex where William Cardon or Cardun appears in the Domesday Book as one of the homines of Geoffrey de Magnaville. [2]

"In 1165 the family was seated in Hants, Norfolk, Beds, and Lincoln, temp. John in Bucks; and 1325, Adam Cardun was M.P. for Nottinghamshire. " [1]

Carden in Cheshire is "a township, in the parish of Tilston, union of Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton. A detachment of dragoons from the parliamentary garrison at Nantwich, on the 12th of June, 1643, plundered Carden Hall, and made its owner, John Leche, Esq., a prisoner." [3]

The Carden Baronetcy, of Templemore in the County of Tipperary was originally from Cheshire, England, but settled at Templemore in County Tipperary around 1650.

Later some of the family were found in Worcestershire as Robert Corduan held a family seat in that shire in 1221. [4]

The Carden Baronetcy, of Wimpole Street in the County of Middlesex and of Molesey in the County of Surrey was created for Sir Robert Walter Carden, 1st Baronet (1801-1888), Lord Mayor of London from 1857 to 1858.

Early History of the Cordner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cordner research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cordner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cordner Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Cordon, Cordin, Corden, Cordwin, Cording, Cordwane, Cordwaner, Cordiner, Cordwent, Cordner, Cordiner, Cordwiner, Cordwinner, Cordwainer and many more.

Early Notables of the Cordner family

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

Ireland Migration of the Cordner family to Ireland

Some of the Cordner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cordner migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cordner or a variant listed above:

Cordner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C. J. Cordner, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
  • James Cordner, aged 24, who settled in America from Portadown, Ireland, in 1893
  • Auckland B. Cordner, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1895
  • George Cordner, aged 44, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1897
Cordner Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Lizzie Cordner, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Armagh, in 1901
  • Josephine Cordner, aged 31, who settled in America from Dublin, in 1904
  • John Cordner, aged 36, who landed in America from Belfast, in 1905
  • Charles Cordner, aged 20, who settled in America from Armagh, in 1905
  • Arthur D. Cordner, aged 23, who landed in America from Dublin, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Cordner 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:

Cordner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Isaac Cordner, (b. 1840), aged 21, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 [5]
  • Mrs. Mary Cordner, (b. 1842), aged 19, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Cordner (post 1700) +

  • Arthur Douglas Cordner (1887-1946), Irish cricketer
  • Robert Cordner (b. 1932), Canadian sprint canoer at the 1952 Summer Olympics
  • Boyd Cordner (b. 1992), Australian professional rugby league player
  • Harry Cordner (1885-1943), Australian rules footballer
  • John Pruen Cordner (b. 1929), retired Australian sportsman who played first-class cricket and Australian rules football
  • John Cordner (1816-1894), the first Unitarian minister in Canada
  • Ted Cordner (b. 1919), retired Australian rules footballer
  • George Denis Pruen Cordner (1924-1990), Australian rules football player
  • Dr Donald Cordner (1922-2009), Australian rules footballer


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook