An English and German surname, the Warner family name comes from the German term of ‘war’ which means guard and ‘hari’ which means army. An early English version was spelled Warnier.

Spelling variations include Warnar and Warnere.

The Warner family name first appeared in the Leicestershire region of England. Across the southeastern region of England the Warner surname is popular. The greatest concentration is in London and the surrounding counties. Scotland has several areas with Warner families, most in Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire.

Warner is a popular name in Germany and Austria.

Warner families mostly live in Michigan, Ohio, New York, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Minnesota in the United States.


Famous: Albert, Sam and Jack Warner (co-founders of Warner Brothers Studios), Ezra Warner (19th century inventor of the can opener), Jack Warner (professional baseball player), Sylvia T. Warner (English novelist and poet) and Amelia Warner (English actress).