Recorded in many forms including Rainy, Rainey, Rany, Raynie, Reany, Reaney, Rennie, Renny, Rennison, and Renison, this is a surname of complicated and confusing origins. It can be English, Anglo-Irish, Irish, Anglo-Scottish or Scottish, and with overlapping spelling. In most cases it is, or rather was, a form of the original personal name "Reynold". This was of Germanic origin from the elements "ragin" meaning "counsel", and "wald", rule. Introduced into the British Isles by the Norse-Vikings of the 8th century, and later reinforced at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 by the French equivalent "Reinald", it rapidly gained popularity in the medieval period.
In Ireland and sometimes Scotland, the derivation is from the Gaelic O'Raigne, but this itself is a development of the French Reinald, probably introduced into Ireland after the invasion of that county in 1170. Early examples of the surname recordings include: Thomas Renie in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, England, in 1279, whilst in 1362, Symon Renny was recorded as being the bailie of Inverkeithing, Scotland. This is believed to be the first known recording in that country. Surname holders as Rany or Rainey held large estates in Angus in the 15th century, whilst the patronymic as Renison or Rennison is recorded in the Glasgow area from the 17th century. In England and specifically Yorkshire, the surname is well recorded with examples such as Margaret Ranie of Arksey, on August 8th 1565, and Andrew Reaney, who married Sarah Gill at Sheffield Cathedral on August 25th 1784. The first known recording of the family name is believed to be that of Henry Raney, which was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls" of Derbyshire. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Discovering the historical roots of rainey is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname rainey is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. We can try to trace the genealogy of the surname rainey, and in addition to the original locations of rainey, we can find out where people with the surname rainey can currently be found.
Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname rainey. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname rainey provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations. The mobility of people carrying the surname rainey has led to its presence in different countries, as you can verify.
The historical chronicle of rainey is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname rainey, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of rainey developed. The history, heraldry, coats of arms, and possible nobility of the surname rainey are scattered in documents across various regions and historical periods, so it is necessary to reconstruct a complex puzzle to approach the facts from a realistic perspective.
We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname rainey, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about rainey and send it to us, we will update it on this website. Please note that if you are in a position to provide more data about the surname rainey or any other surname and its origin, we would appreciate your collaboration with us by sending us information about the origin of rainey.
It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished raineys throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname rainey were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. A surname like rainey can connect a person to an illustrious lineage and a distinguished coat of arms. However, it must be kept in mind that it is individual people who, through their lives and actions, bring fame and recognition to their surnames. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname rainey who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of rainey. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of rainey are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. We consider it highly advisable to refer to the following sources if you wish to conduct research on the surname rainey, as well as many other surnames.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of rainey, and at the same time, of surnames in general.