| ![Show Contents]() Cather History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The name Cather is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a caterer. The surname Cather was an official name, "the cater," derived from the Old French ale catour, a title meaning a buyer of groceries for the gentleman's house. They were in charge of maintaining provisions in manors and castles. The cater's job assumed a great importance during extended sieges of his lord's castle, which could last for years. Early Origins of the Cather familyThe surname Cather was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. William le Catur who was documented in the year 1273 in Essex and a few years later, Bernard le Acatour was listed in 1300 in Somerset. William Katerer was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Early History of the Cather familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cather research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1150 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Cather History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cather Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cather family name include Cater, Cator, Cather, Catter, Cader and others. Early Notables of the Cather familyMore information is included under the topic Early Cather Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Cather migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Cather or a variant listed above:
Cather Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Andrew and Jane Cather, who arrived in New York in 1823 with their three children
| Contemporary Notables of the name Cather (post 1700) | + |
- Willa Sibert Cather (1876-1947), American novelist
- Jesse H. Cather, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Taylor County, 1864-65; Member of West Virginia State Senate 3rd District, 1869-70, 1872 1
- James Cather, American politician, Member of West Virginia State Senate 5th District, 1870-71 1
- Don Cather, American Republican politician, Independent Republican Candidate for Alaska State Senate District H, 1994 1
- Charles R. Cather, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Taylor County, 1960 1
- Geoffrey St George Shillington Cather (1890-1916), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
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Cather migration to the United States 
