Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Pages: VARNER, WARNER, & WERNER FAMILIES & Origin of Surname

VARNER, WARNER, & WERNER FAMILIES & Origin of Surname Updated October 25, 2009	Don Varner 868 Cottonwood Drive Severna Park, MD 21146 United States DRVarner@comcast.net
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My name is Don Varner and I have been gathering information on WARNER, VARNER, WERNER, & VERNER families in the United States & Canada for many years. My ancestors came to America (1732) as WERNERS, became WARNERS and are now (mostly) VARNERS. My ever growing database includes over 162,000 persons, all of whom have (OR are RELATED to) these surnames. (includes surnames of spouse's parents and many persons whose first or surnames are unknown) My data covers UNRELATED family lines and is collected without regard to ethnicity or religion. As a result of my participation in a program that monitors obituaries, this database also includes much "recent" family information as well as earlier genealogy data. Contact me anytime and I will search my database( NOT AVAILABLE ON LINE ) and share with you any information I may have on your family. IMPORTANT - My data have been gathered from many sources over the years. While I try to be as accurate as possible, I make no guarantees or claim of validity, I share my data as a tool to aid you in further research and it should NOT be considered as verified proof for genealogical records. I hope you will contact me. When you do, please try to include helpful information. Details such as the names of sibling; maiden names; nicknames and middle names. Also dates and/or locations of events such as births, deaths, marriages. You never know which "key" piece of information will enable a connection to persons/families already in my data. Once contacted, I will enter your name and Email address in association with the family in question. In that way I will know whom to contact when/if I learn more about your family. I look forward to hearing from you. Who knows, we may even be cousins! DERIVATION of the WARNER/WERNER/VARNER/VERNER/VERNOR Surname: GERMANIC: WARNER/WERNER/WOERNER The surname WERNER/WERHNER/WARNER/VARNER/VERNER evolved from either of two ancient Germanic words WARINHARI or WARINHEER. Each has two root words. The first being WARIN meaning "Guard" and the second HARI meaning "Army" or HEER which means "Volk" (People). As a surname, it seems to have first appeared in the 15th Century and was, most likely, an honorary title granted as a reward for some service well done. ENGLISH/SCOTTISH/IRISH: VERNER/VERNOR/WARNER The English surname has the same root as as the German surname as it was based on the French Version of the old Germanic name Warneheri (see above). Warenheri was a common Norman personal name. In some cases the English WARNER seems to have derived from the French names VARNEY/VERNEY which are NOT Germanic but were probably associated with a geographic locale or feature. The IRISH Warners seem to have come from Germany via England or Scotland and, in fact, many Irish Warners have German ancestry. AFRICAN-AMERCIAN & ASIAN: WARNER/VARNER Appear to derive from a continuation of slave names, "adopted" names, or by marriage. OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS: WARNER/VARNER/WERNER From other geographic areas of the WORLD or are "Americanized" spellings. SPELLING/PRONOUNCIATION of the GERMAN based name: The German letter 'W' sounds like an English 'V', thus, the name Warner/Werner when spoken by Germans sounded like Varner/Verner. In early America, the English speaking people tended to pronounce Warner/Werner using the English "W" sound. This caused the German-Americans to adopt the VARNER/VERNER spelling so that the "English" would pronounce the names in a manner that was phonetically correct. Those of you who travel to Germany today will hear your name "mispronounced". As a result, VARNERS and VERNERS may expect to be addressed as FARNER or FERNER. If you are a WARNER or WERNER, you will be called VARNER or VERNER Remember, in German, Volkswagon sounds like "FolksVagen".

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