Stavanger, Norway.
Most Warlands in Norway appear to live in the Rogaland area - Tau and Stavanger in particular. According to Morten Warland in Stavanger, his great great grandfather’s name was originally Svendsen (Ananias Svendsen Tau Brug).
The Norwegian name Warland appears to have come from the Rogaland area of Norway (capital - Stavanger) and morphed over the years, possibly from Vatland (1752), then Varlandsli (1791), then Varland (1846), then Warland by the late 1800s.
The Norwegian name may be derived originally from the name given to a farming community - Varland. There are currently two places near Stavanger that still carry the Varland/Vardland name. One is in the township of Strand, the other in Finnøy (Fogn). According to a Norwegian Warland relative, farms with names ending in 'land' were typically established in Norway between 400 and 800 AD. One of two Varland farms was called Vordlandt in 1563 ('vordr' = 'warden'). This (Varland) farm has a hill behind it called 'Varlandsåsen'. The top of the hill was used to watch or guard and a fire was lit to warn others if there was any danger. Words with 'varde' and 'var' in the name hanre the same base 'var' which means attentive. People on the farm were responsible for guarding the area. (See also Leidang)
It is interesting that the word 'waru' in Old English has a similar meaning of 'defend'. Is it possible that the English version, 'warland', was based on the way in which some early Viking invaders to Britain set up their own local 'varlands' and this became 'waruland' then 'warland' in both the Danelaw area and at least one area in Dorset?
The Warland name in Norway is believed to be derived from the name of a location called Varlandsli (also called Vardland), meaning 'lands of cairns' (cairn in Norwegian is 'varde'), a small place in Strand near Stavanger (between Tau and Fiskå/Fiskaa. There are currently two places near Stavanger that still carry the Varland/Vardland name. One is in the township of Strand, the other in Finnøy (Fogn).
The Geni website contains (across a number of pages maintained by different people) details of members of the family which ultimately became Warland.
Ådne Ådneram (abt 1580, Sirdal, Norway - ) had at least one son, Knut Åneson Ådneram i Sirdal (1604, Ådneram - ).
Knut Åneson Ådneram married and had a son, Ånen Knutson Ådneram (abt 1634 - ). Ånen Knutson Ådneram married Helga Eilevsdatter Lyse and they had several children:
Ole Ånensen Ådneram married Gjertrud Olsdotter Ådneram and they had several children (note the appearance of 'Vatland'):
Ånen Olsen Vatland (Ådneram) married Guro Knutsdatter and they had three children:
Knut Ånensen Vatland married Anna Martina Reiersdotter Tauravågen and then Ingelev Danielsdotter Vatland. Two children were born (it is not clear from which mother)
Ådne (Ånon) Knutsen Varlandsli (Vatland) married Eli Karine (Elen) Svendsdotter Varlandsli and they had several children:
Svend Ådnesen Varlandsli married Helga Johannesdatter Helle and they had several children:
Ananias Svendsen Tau Brug married three times: Anne Helene Thorsdotter Øvre Bjørheim; Gurine Nilsdotter Nielsdatter; and Klausine Klausdotter Tau Brug. From these marriages many children were born, some of whom migrated to the United States. It is not known if these children are listed chronologically.
According to Morten Warland (who lives in Stavanger, Norway), the great great grandson of Ananias Svendsen, ten of Ananias Svendsen's children emigrated from Norway to the US (as noted above). Most settled in the Midwest (Iowa mostly) and kept the Warland name, but some took back the Svendsen name.
Jonas Svensen Varland (3 February 1849, Varland - 9 April 1939, US), the brother of Ananias Svendsen Tau Brug (above), married Gunhild Svensen Varland. They had the following children. It is not yet known when they migrated to the United States:
Nicolay Varland/Warland (aka Knutsen)(12 December 1858, Ardal, Rogaland - 29 July 1938) and Ellen Thomine (Idsøe) married and had the following children from 1885 (Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Varland-8):
For information about the migration of Warlands from Stavanger to the United States, see this page.
Many people with the Warland surname still live around the Stavanger area.
Page created 2004, last updated 4 January 2025. Copyright © Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)