Show ContentsVenable History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Venable family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Venables, Normandy, "about thirty miles beyond Rouen, on the road to Paris, between St. Pierre and Vernon, standing in the centre of the neck of a peninsula formed by a bend of the Seine. The high road runs straight through this tract to the centre of the arc of the Seine, which it intersects at a point where the river bends past Pont Andeli, near the famous Château Gaillard." [1]

Venables was the barony and ancient seat of the Le Veneurs, so named from their hereditary office of Veneur or Venator (Huntsman) to the Dukes of Normandy.

Early Origins of the Venable family

The surname Venable was first found in Cheshire where this distinguished Norman family were descended from Gilbert de Venables, from Venables, in the canton of Gaillon, near Evreu in Normandy. Walter Veneur (ancestor of Gilbert), fought at the Battle of Fords in 960 between the King of France and Richard I Duke of Normandy. [1]

"But who so prominent in the group as Gaultier-le-Veneur? All the interest of the battle seemed at one juncture to be concentrated upon the Huntsman, as though he had been the sole object of the conflict. Dragged off his horse, seized by the enemy, rescued and remounted by the ready Duke on the best he had perhaps his own charger: and now, again, for the battle !" [2]

"Gilbert de Venables or Gislebertus Venator, as he is entered in the Domesday Book, was one of the Palatinate barons of Hugh Lupus, in Cheshire, and has been called his nephew, although his name does not appear in the pedigree of the son of the Earl's only sister, Ralph de Meschines." [1]

"The manor [of Agden] was held by a family of the same name: a moiety of it passed by female heirs to the families of Daniel and Venables; the other moiety, by purchase, to the Savages, who sold it to the family of Venables in 1619. William Venables married the heiress of the Daniels; and in 1727 the heiress of George Venables was married to Sir T. P. Chetwode, Bart., in whose family the property continues." [3]

"The house of Venables bore Azure, two bars Argent [as their Coat of Arms] and was first adopted by the fifth Baron about 1253." [1]

Early History of the Venable family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Venable research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1604, 1613, 1640, 1645, 1648, 1649, 1662, 1669, 1687 and 1762 are included under the topic Early Venable History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Venable Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Venable were recorded, including Venables, Venable and others.

Early Notables of the Venable family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Peter Venables (1604-1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1669, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War

Venable Ranking

In the United States, the name Venable is the 3,715th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [4]


United States Venable migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Venable arrived in North America very early:

Venable Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Venable, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 [5]
  • Richard Venable, who settled in Virginia in 1635
  • Abraham Venable, who arrived in Virginia in 1685 [5]
Venable Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • D Venable, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
  • Kate Venable, aged 21, who arrived in New York City, New York in 1894 aboard the ship "Majestic (1890)" from Liverpool & Queenstown [6]
Venable Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Heln Venable, who arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Etruria" from Liverpool, England [6]
  • Charles Scott Venable, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Cherbourg, France [6]
  • Francis P. Venable, aged 51, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Koenig Albert" from Naples, Italy [6]
  • Alda E. Venable, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Caoba" from Belize, British Honduras [6]
  • Lillian Venable, aged 46, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Venable (post 1700) +

  • Abraham Watkins Venable (1799-1876), U.S. and Confederate Congressman from North Carolina
  • Abraham B. Venable (1758-1811), U.S. Congressman and Senator from Virginia
  • Winston Venable (b. 1987), American NFL football safety for the Chicago Bears
  • Abraham Bedford Venable (1758-1811), American politician, representative and senator from Virginia
  • William McKinley "Max" Venable (b. 1957), American former Major League Baseball outfielder/designated hitter
  • Evelyn Venable (1913-1993), American actress
  • William Dion Venable (b. 1982), American Major League Baseball right fielder for the San Diego Padres
  • James L. Venable, American composer, for film and television
  • Charles E. Venable, American politician, Candidate for Delaware State House of Representatives 32nd District, 1998 [7]
  • Abraham Watkins Venable (1799-1876), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from North Carolina 5th District, 1847-53; Delegate from North Carolina to the Confederate Provisional Congress, 1861-62 [7]
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Venable Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Venabulis Vinco
Motto Translation: I conquer with hunting-spears.


  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
  2. Palgrave, Sir Francis F.R.S., F.S.A. History of the Anglo-Saxons. London: William Tegg, 1871, Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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