| Reynolds | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Meaning | "son of Reynold" |
| Region of origin | England; Liatroim, Ireland |
| Footnotes: [1] | |
Reynolds is a surname in the English language. There are two major lineages of the surname, Irish and English. Among the earliest recorded use of the surname is from the early 14th century; Walter Reynolds of Worcester, England.
|
In Ireland, the Reynolds surname originates in and around County Leitrim, where the name was rather influential before the seventeenth century. In the Irish language, the surname is rendered Mac Raghnaill, and the name is ultimately derived from the Old Norse Rognvald. Throughout Ireland's rich history, the Reynolds family name was a prominent one, and even today, County Leitrim is the principal stronghold of the name, nearly half the people in Ireland so called hailing from that area.
Like many Irish families, the Reynolds began emigrating from Ireland in two fronts, early on in America's history, as they settled in the northeast prior to the American Revolution and during the "Irish Famine", when millions of Irish Catholics came to North America.
Some of the better-known Irish Reynolds include:
Reynolds is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold", where the given name of the father, "Reynold", or "Reginald",[2] or "Ragenald",[3] or "Regenwald" was a Germanic name meaning "ruler's councilor"[4] (possibly an alteration of the Old French name Reinold). The addition of "s" to the father's first name makes Reynolds a simple genitive case patronymic.[5]
Possessors of these names arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066,[6] and early English chronicles indicate a Norman origin, with the name appearing in England from about 1066. Diligent analysts used such manuscript records like the Domesday Book (compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror), the Inquisitios, the Ragman Rolls, the Wace poem, the Honour Roll of the Battel Abbey, The Curia Regis, Pipe Rolls, the Falaise Roll, tax records, baptismals, family genealogies, and local parish and church records, to determine that the first record of the name Reynolds was found in Somerset where they were granted lands by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Early records of the name mention Willemus filius Raunaldi who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, in which "Rainald-us" is a common christian name.[7] The alternative saxon origin is less commonly cited (in this etymology, the name is constructed from the saxon words Rhein, pure, and hold, love).[8]
The name Reynolds appeared in many references, but spellings included Reynell (surname), Reynalds,[7] Renals, Rennels and many more. Scribes recorded and spelled the name as it sounded. Hence, a person would appear to be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with still another.
Reynolds emerged as a notable family name in the county of Somerset where Sir Richard Reynell (died 1194) held a family seat at Pitney and was given custody of the Castles at Exeter and Launceston by King Richard I when he went to the Holy Land in 1191. In 1198 Godfrey, Robert and Torketil Renoldus were registered in Normandy.
Meanwhile many of the junior branches had joined the Earl of Pembroke's Irish invasion, where they became the Earls of Cavan, of Lisburne, of Mountmorris. In England the main line was forfeited but Sir Richard's son recovered the lands and became the Earl of Devon. This distinguished west country family also branched to other locations in England, mostly under the name 'Reynolds; for example, Walter Reynolds (died 1327) was the son of a Windsor baker, who became the favourite of King Edward II and Archbishop of Canterbury (1313–1327).
During the 12th century many of these Norman families moved north to Scotland in the train of the Earl of Huntington, later to become King David of Scotland.
In Ireland, settlers became known as the "Adventurers for land." They "undertook" to keep the Protestant faith, and were granted lands previously held by the Irish. This family migrated to Ireland during two periods, first with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, and later, in the 17th century giving rise to the Reynells of Reynell castle. In some cases it is difficult to distinguish early migrants from native Irish Reynolds who derive their name from McRannell, formerly spelled "Mac Ragnaill".
Among settlers to North America bearing the family name Reynolds were Henry, Samuel, Thomas Reynold settled in the Barbados in 1688; Christopher Reynolds settled in Virginia in 1622; Nathaniel Reynold settled in Salem in 1630; Robert Reynolds settled in Salem in 1630 with Mary and his four children; Cornelius, Edward, George, Hannah, James, Mary, Nicholas, Richard Reynolds also settled in Virginia. During the American War of Independence some declared their loyalty to the Crown and moved into Canada as United Empire Loyalists.
More recently, notable bearers of the Reynolds surname include: Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792), painter; John Reynolds (U.S. politician) (1788–1865), American politician, Governor of Illinois; James Clark McReynolds (1862–1946), U.S. Attorney General (1913–14) and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1914–41); Albert Reynolds (b.1935), Irish politician, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland (1992–95); Debbie Reynolds (b.1932), American actress, dancer and singer; Harold Craig Reynolds (b.1960), American Major League Baseball player; Christopher Reynolds, Australian Archbishop of Adelaide (1873–1893); Lloyd Reynolds, American Economist; as well as Burt Reynolds (b.1936), American actor.
The most ancient grant of a Coat of Arms found was a silver shield with a portcullis and three blue bars; A fox was the crest.
The ancient family Motto for this distinguished name was: Jus meum tuebor
Motto translation: I will defend my right.[9]
Or, "Favente Deo ("By God's favour").[10]
People whose family name is or was Reynolds include:
| This page or section lists people with the surname Reynolds. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. |