This interesting and unusual surname has two possible origins. Firstly, it may be a patronymic form of Venner, an occupational name for a huntsman, from the Old French "veneo(u)r", a huntsman, plus the patronymic suffix "-s", son of; hence, "son of the huntsman". However, in some instances, the name may be of topographical origin from someone who lived in a fen or marsh, from the Olde English pre 7th Century "fenn", marsh, plus "-er-", dweller at, and "-s", which when attached to a topographical feature, means "of that place". The surname first appears in the late 12th Century (see below), while other early examples of the surname include David le Venur, mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219, and William le Venur, recorded in the Curia Rolls of Sussex in 1219, while Adam le Venour appears in the "Minister's Accounts of the earldom of Cornwall" (Hertfordshire) in 1297. One John Venners married Ann Hall on August 10th 1658, at St. Bartholomew the Less, London. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family depicts on a red shield, three gold bends and a chief per fess, ermine and silver. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter le Veneur, which was dated 1195, in the "Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "Richard the Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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