Show ContentsTrainor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Trainor is Mac Threinfir, from the words trean, meaning strong, and fear meaning man. This name is often rendered MacTraynor or MacTreanor in English, but the Anglicizations Mac Crainor and MacCreanor are actually more phonetically accurate.

Early Origins of the Trainor family

The surname Trainor was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat and were associated with the family of Armstrong which settled in that county from the English/Scottish border.

Early History of the Trainor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trainor research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trainor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trainor Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Trainor can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Traynor, Trainor, Trayner and others.

Early Notables of the Trainor family

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

Trainor Ranking

In the United States, the name Trainor is the 5,141st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Trainor migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Trainor name:

Trainor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pat Trainor, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 2
  • Peter Trainor, aged 48, who landed in New York in 1812 2
  • Bernard, Francis, Henry, Hugh, James, John, and Michael Trainor, all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1838 and 1878
  • Phillip Trainor, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 2

Trainor migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Trainor Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Trainor Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Sally Trainor, aged 34, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
  • Benny Trainor, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
  • John Trainor, aged 12, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
  • Kitty Trainor, aged 9, a chld, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
  • James Trainor, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Trainor migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Trainor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Trainor, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Navarino" 4
  • Thomas Trainor, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Navarino" 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Trainor (post 1700) +

  • Miss Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (b. 1993), American Grammy and Billboard Award winner, singer and songwriter born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, best known for her debut single "All About That Bass" which sold 11 million copies worldwide, and her third major-label studio album entitled Treat Myself
  • Bernard E. Trainor (1928-2018), American journalist, military analyst for NBC and United States Marine Corps lieutenant general
  • Gerald William "Jerry" Trainor (b. 1977), American actor, comedian and voice actor
  • Mary Ellen Trainor (b. 1950), American film and television actress
  • Sir Richard Hughes "Rick" Trainor KBE, FRHS, FKC (b. 1948), British Principal of King's College London
  • Dr. James H Trainor (1935-2003), American associate director and chief scientist of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Frank Trainor (b. 1954), Canadian singer and songwriter

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Nicholas Trainor (d. 1914), British Boots from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 5
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. A. Trainor, English Trimmer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 6


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  4. South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1857. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1857.shtml
  5. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  6. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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