Show ContentsWarnock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Warnock family

The surname Warnock was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Norman invasion of 1066.

They were originally a sept of the Grahams (hence the same escallops and colours as the Graham Coat of Arms) and known as the Mac-Gille-Warnocks, and gave their name to the parish of Gaitgillmakkilwernock in Kirkcudbrightshire. The Clan was more properly known as the MacIlvernocks.

Some of the first records of the family include: Robert Warnot (probably the same name) who had a remission for his share in holding Dumbarton Castle against the king in 1489 and Andree Warnoche in Lanark who had a remission in 1505. Later, James Warnok was a witness in Ayrshire in 1562. 1

Early History of the Warnock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warnock research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1320, 1489, 1602, 1688 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Warnock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warnock Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Warnock, MacGilvernock, Warnick, Warnoch, McIlvernock, M'Illvernoche and many more.

Early Notables of the Warnock family

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

Warnock Ranking

In the United States, the name Warnock is the 5,041st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Warnock family to Ireland

Some of the Warnock family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Warnock migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Warnock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Warnock who settled in Newcastle, Del. in 1789
Warnock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Warnock, aged 47, who arrived in Ohio in 1812 3
  • John Warnock, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
  • John and Jane Warnock, who settled in New York in 1823
  • Alexander Warnock, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 3
  • James Warnock, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Warnock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Warnock Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Warnock, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
  • John Warnock, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
  • Miss. Barbara Warnock who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Golden Spring" departing 27th May 1847 from London, England; the ship arrived on 13th July 1847 but she died on board 4

Warnock 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:

Warnock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. J. Warnock, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 5
  • Mrs. Warnock, British settler travelling from London with 2 children aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 5
  • Mr. William Warnock, (b. 1836), aged 39, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 25th November 1875 5
  • Mrs. Margaret Warnock, (b. 1836), aged 39, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 25th November 1875 5
  • Mr. William Warnock, (b. 1856), aged 19, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 25th November 1875 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Warnock (post 1700) +

  • John Edward Warnock (1940-2023), American computer scientist best known as a co-founder of Adobe Systems
  • William Robert Warnock (1838-1918), American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Ohio 8th District, 1901-05; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1904 6
  • R. S. Warnock Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1952, 1956 6
  • R. S. Warnock, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1904 6
  • Joseph Warnock, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate, 1918, 1932 6
  • Helen Holme Warnock, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Westport; Elected 1946 6
  • Fred J. Warnock, American Republican politician, Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, 1920-22 6
  • C. L. Warnock, American politician, Mayor of New Castle, Pennsylvania, 1899-1902 6
  • Ms. Clare Maria Warnock B.E.M., British Practice Development Sister for Weston Park Cancer Centre at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to Cancer Research and to Cancer Patients 7
  • Mr. Neil Patrick Ross William Warnock M.B.E. (b. 1946), British Director, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Music and to Charity 7
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Warnock 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: Ne oublie
Motto Translation: Don't forget.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 98)
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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