Dutch Genealogy from Holland
Excellent work up on the van Rens's and related people in Overasselt, Holland.. This page in in Dutch so translation are in order.

Family genealogy from Antoon (Toon) van Rens July 2011. He writes: This is the most complete and connected information in the family- the oldest things of the families.
Van Rens go back to 1450 but it is little information and you cant connect it. All the people with the name van rens ,van rengs , and van rensch are family in the whole world.
Van Rens go back to 1450 but it is little information and you cant connect it. All the people with the name van rens ,van rengs , and van rensch are family in the whole world.
Search for Dutch van Rens Connection - Gerit or back to 1200's?

"I just returned from a trip to Holland. Visited the archives of Horst(Limberg) again. I found a tombstone of your and our ancester Gerrit(Gerard) van Rens. It says , "Here lies buried Gerit van Rens deceased Aº 1663 the 22nd of March and Willemken Verheyen his (house)wife deceased Aº 1641 on 26th February. Pray God for their souls." This is the oldest van Rens that we can trace back without interruption of the pedigree. I have older descendents; 5 have been burnt(1400's) but those need further evaluation. Mr. Theo van Rensch wrote to me- he is related to us, as are the van Rengs people. They all descend from this Gerit van Rens who was born somewhere in the 1590-1600's." Erik van Rens (April 19,1994)"
Note from Erik van Rens 12/27/15.
Origin of the Van Rens family lies in the city of Horst, in the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. This town lies close to the border with Germany, and through the ages has been alternatingly a part of The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France. They speak a language- "Limburgs"- which is now classified as a lower Franconian language, extending into Belgium and Germany, centered around Koln (Cologne).
The name Van Rens indicates a place and it is not a patronimical. The place in question most likely is "te Rens" or Rens Plaats/Rengs Plaats, referring to a farm in the hamlet of Hegelsom, next to Horst. In the past, Rens has also been spelled as Rensch or Rengs.
The name Van Rens occurs first in the 1400's in the annals of Horst. Jan van Rens was a member of the city council and was mentioned in documents dating to 1547, 1550 and 1555.
In 1584 Gerard van Rens is mentioned as a council member as well. They used a seal which is the the basis of the family crest. The cross of Gerrit's tombstone of 1633 is added to this.
Court documents mention Jacob van Rens, who was sued for violence, infidelity and starting a riot. Later on he was involved in several other cases.... He did leave his estate to charity, so he was not all bad. He likely is our direct ancestor.
Note from Erik van Rens 12/27/15.
Origin of the Van Rens family lies in the city of Horst, in the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. This town lies close to the border with Germany, and through the ages has been alternatingly a part of The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France. They speak a language- "Limburgs"- which is now classified as a lower Franconian language, extending into Belgium and Germany, centered around Koln (Cologne).
The name Van Rens indicates a place and it is not a patronimical. The place in question most likely is "te Rens" or Rens Plaats/Rengs Plaats, referring to a farm in the hamlet of Hegelsom, next to Horst. In the past, Rens has also been spelled as Rensch or Rengs.
The name Van Rens occurs first in the 1400's in the annals of Horst. Jan van Rens was a member of the city council and was mentioned in documents dating to 1547, 1550 and 1555.
In 1584 Gerard van Rens is mentioned as a council member as well. They used a seal which is the the basis of the family crest. The cross of Gerrit's tombstone of 1633 is added to this.
Court documents mention Jacob van Rens, who was sued for violence, infidelity and starting a riot. Later on he was involved in several other cases.... He did leave his estate to charity, so he was not all bad. He likely is our direct ancestor.