From Varenne (Old French de Gwarenne) in the district of Dieppe. Reginald de Warenne granted a charter before 1231 to Laurence Oliphant of lands near Forgandenny (Sc. Peer., VI p. 530). In 1231 he granted a charter to the Abbey of Culross to which Reginald, younger, of Waren, and Malcolm, his brother, are witnesses (PSAS., LX, p. 71-72). (2) compare Warrender.

(Anglo-French-Teut.) 1 Dweller at, or Keeper of, a Game-Preserve [Middle English wareine, wareyne, &c., Old French warenne (French garenne), Low Latin warenna, a warren; from Old Teutonic warian, to preserve, protect, hinder] Hamelius de Waren’.—Charter-Rolls, A.D. 1200-1.

John de Warenne.—Hund. Rolls, A.D. 1274.

Joh’es de Warenna comes Surr’.—Inq. ad q. Damn., A.D. 1338.

There is a village called Garennes in the Eure Dept., Normandy.

2 for Warm, q.v.

Warren-us deEngayne, Warin-us de Engayne Testa de Nevill

I.e. de la Varenne (in France). This family settled in the Pale, some branches becoming hibernicized.

Warren is also used as a synonym of Murnane (q.v.) in Co. Kerry. Bibl. MIF 188

(English) Dweller at, or keeper of, a game preserve; descendant of Warren, from Old French, Warin (protection).

William de Warene, or Warrena, who married Gundrada, a daughter of William the Conqueror, received great possessions in Sussex, Surrey, Norfolk, Suffolk, &c., and became progenitor of the Earls of Warenne and Surrey. His chief seat, anterior to the Conquest, was at Bellencombre, a small town in the arrondissement of Dieppe, in Normandy, on the little river Varenne. By this name the town itself was anciently known, until upon the erection of a fortress upon an artificial mound, or bellus cumulus, it received, from that circumstance, the appellation of Bellencombre. Arch. Journ., iii., 6. The Norman de Warennes were doubtless progenitors of many existing families of Warren; but it must not be forgotten that the surname may have a totally different source, namely, wairen-which Bailey defines as, "a franchize or place privileged by the king for keeping conies, hares, partridges, pheasants, &c.;" though the phrase is now more commonly applied to a colony of rabbits. Thirdly, Warren, or Warinus, is an old baptismal name whence Fitz-Warine.

From Guarenna or Varenna, in the county of Calais, in Normandy, whence they came into England with William the Conqueror. The primary sense of the word is to stop, hold, or repel, to guard, keep off.

William de Warenna or Warennes, Earl of Surrey t. William I. The history of this family is recorded by Dugdale and Banks. See also Mortimer. Ralph Sire de Garenne, so called from a place in Normandy, afterwards named Bellencombre, where a magnificent castle long remained, was father of William de Warenne, who accompanied the Conqueror 1066 (Wace, ii. 241), and had vast grants in England. He was Great Justiciary of England, and in 1089 was created Earl of Surrey, a dignity which long descended in his family. The family of Bellencombre appears to have been a branch.

(English), Warren. (variant: Mainwaring, Chase, and Konijnen- berg.) Many of this surname, however, claim descent from William de Garennes or de Warenne, a companion of the Conqueror, so called from Varimna (now Bellencombre) in Normandy, which derived its name from the Northern Waren- gangi ( War-goers?) or Varangi, some of whom formed the body­guard of the Greek Emperors.

From the Old Norse, Væringr; in the Domesday Book, Warin, Wareng, Warenger; from the French, Warin, Verenne; personal name See Wearing. Gundred de Warren or Warrenna held lands in Wiltshire temp. King John, 1201.

Warren. —This name is mostly confined to the southern half of England, more especially to Dorset and the south - western counties and to Cambridgeshire and the adjacent eastern counties. It thus possesses two principal homes, one in the west of England and the other in the east. It also occurs sporadically in Cheshire and Staffordshire. Six centuries ago the name, in one form or another, was frequent in the east of England. We learn from the Hundred Rolls that in those ancient times Warin was characteristic of Cambridgeshire, and that Warenne was very common in Norfolk, in both of which counties the name is still well represented. Warenne was then also very frequent in Lincolnshire, and was also represented in Sussex. The present east country Warrens possess the name, if not the blood, of the Norman family of de Warene, the members of which in the time of William the Conqueror received great possessions in the east of England in Sussex, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk, etc. Probably also the west country name of Warren has a similar origin, though it has been suggested that it may sometimes be a contraction of "warrener," a keeper of a rabbit - warren, an improbable suggestion, since occupative names ending in "er," as Tanner, Skinner, Barber, Tayler, etc., etc., are not subject to such abbreviations.