Rand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the name Rand are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from Randolph of which it is a short form. The surname Rand referred to the son of Randolph which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames.

Early Origins of the Rand family

The surname Rand was first found in Norfolk at Yelverton, a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Henstead. "The church [of Yelverton] is an ancient structure in the decorated and early English styles, with a square embattled tower, and contains several handsome monuments to the families of Rant, Playter and Day; and a Norman font. The sum of £27 per annum, arising from land purchased with a bequest by Mrs. Anne Rant in 1698, is divided between the rector and the poor, the latter of whom have also 4 acres that were allotted at the inclosure." 1

Early History of the Rand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rand research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1604, 1606, 1650, 1660 and 1671 are included under the topic Early Rand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rand Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Rand has been spelled many different ways, including Rand, Rande, Rynd, Rynde, Raynd, Raynde and others.

Early Notables of the Rand family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Rand (fl. 1650-1660), an English physician who projected general reforms in medical education, practice and publication

Rand Ranking

In the United States, the name Rand is the 3,851^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Rand migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Rands to arrive in North America:

Rand Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Rand, who arrived in Plymouth in 1621
James Rand, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 3
Francis Rand, who settled in New Hampshire in 1630
Francis Rand, who arrived in New England in 1631 3
Robert Rand, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1649 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rand Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Rand, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 3
Johann Michael Rand, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1728 aboard the ship "Mortonhouse John Coultas" 3
Benjamin Rand, who settled in Virginia in 1729
John Rand, who settled in Boston in 1768

Rand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles W Rand, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Rand (post 1700) +

James Henry Rand Jr. (1886-1968), American industrialist, founder of American Kardex, one time competitor to his father's company Rand Ledger, a merger was established and Remington Rand was formed which later merged with Remington Typewriter Company to become Remington Rand which continued to produce typewriters and later manufactured the UNIVAC line of mainframe computers
Addison Rand (1841-1900), American co-founder of Rand Drill Company in 1871 which later became Ingersoll-Rand Inc, an Irish global diversified industrial company formed in 1905 now with 52,000 employees worldwide
Frank Chambless Rand (1876-1949), American businessman and philanthropist, President of the International Shoe Company, the world's largest shoe manufacturer, from 1916 to 1930, and as its Chairman from 1930 to 1949
Anthony Eden "Tony" Rand (1939-2020), American attorney and politician, Member of the North Carolina Senate (1981-1988)
William H. Rand (1828-1915), American co-founder of Rand McNally, an American technology and publishing company, best known for their mapping products and services
William McNear Rand (1886-1981), American track and field athlete at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum, Russian-born, American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter
William M. Rand, American chemist, awarded the Chemical Industry Medal in 1950, eponym of the Rand index or Rand measure
Jasper Rand Jr. (1837-1909), American co-founder of Rand Drill Company in 1871, brother of Addison Rand
Paul Rand (1914-1996), American graphic designer and art director, best known for his designs including the logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, NeXT, professor emeritus of graphic design at Yale University
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)