Wren
A surname that may come from the bird’s name as a nickname, though some 19th-century writers also linked it to Rennes in Brittany.
The #3,220 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,540 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most likely, Wren began as a nickname from the bird name Middle English "wrenne," from Old English "wrenna" or related forms, applied to someone thought to be small, lively, or birdlike. Some older surname writers also suggested a connection with the town of Rennes in Brittany, but that explanation is less convincing and not as widely accepted. A Welsh word meaning "lord" or "chief" is sometimes mentioned in older scholarship, but that looks like a separate and uncertain association rather than the main source of the surname.
History
The surname is found in England by the 13th century, with early spellings such as Wrenne and Wrenn. It appears in several English counties and later spread to North America. The famous Sir Christopher Wren helped make the name especially well known in English history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bird-nickname surnames like Wren are part of a wider English pattern that also produced names such as Sparrow, Nightingale, and Woodcock.
From the historical record
“WREGG, v. Wragg, Ragg. WREN ) (Eng.) a pers, name and nickname WRENN j from the Wren [M.E. wrenne, O.JE. , ' wrenna] ^(Celt.) Lord, Ruler, Chief [O.Wel. rMn] WRENCH (Eng.) is doubtless a nickname f. M.E. ■wrench{e, O.E. wrewc,' 'wile,' 'trick,' 'artifice.'”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Wren
- Christopher Wren (1632–1723)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.