Meaning & History
Arends is a Dutch and Low German patronymic surname, meaning "son of Arend". The surname originated as a way to identify a person by their father's name, a common practice in medieval Netherlands and northern Germany. The root name Arend itself is a Dutch and German variant of Arnold, which comes from a Germanic name meaning "eagle power", derived from the elements arn "eagle" and walt "power, authority". As a result, the Arends surname shares its roots with other European patronymic surnames built on the Arnold stem, such as the German Arnold, the Flemish Aerts (son of Arend), the French Arnaud, and the Italian Naldi (from Arnaldo). Variants and cognates in other languages include the Afrikaans Arendse, and Dutch dialectal forms such as Aarens, Aarse, Aartsen, Aerssens, Arendsen, and Arents. Aartsma, a Frisian variant, likewise means "son of Aart". Historically, the Normans introduced the root name Arnold to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Earnweald, but Arnold faded after the Middle Ages, only to be revived in the 19th century. Among noted bearers of the Arends surname are
Notable Bearers
- Brett Arends (born 1968), American business journalist
- Carolyn Arends (born 1968), Canadian singer-songwriter
- Georg Arends (1863–1952), German botanist and gardener
- Henri Arends (1921–1993), Dutch conductor
- Isabel Arends (born 1966), Dutch chemist
- Jacco Arends (born 1991), Dutch badminton player
- Jan Arends (1738–1805), Dutch landscape and marine painter
- Leopold Arends (1817–1882), German stenographer
- Leslie C. Arends (1895–1985), American politician from Illinois
- Richard Arends (born 1990), Dutch footballer
- Sander Arends (born 1991), Dutch tennis player
The name appears also in the version Ahrendts, as with businesswoman Angela Ahrendts (born 1960). Overall, the Arends surname reflects a deeply rooted patronymic tradition across the Low Countries and northwestern Germany.
- Meaning: son of Arend (eagle power)
- Origin: patronymic surname from the given name Arend
- Type: patronymic
- Usage: Dutch, Low German
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Arends