Contents [hide]

Elmore History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Elmore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Elmore surname is a habitational derived from the place name Elmore in Gloucestershire. The place name is in turn derived from the Old English "elm," meaning "elm," and "ofer," meaning "river bank," or "ridge." Another authority claims that the name was originally an Anglo-Saxon personal name. 1

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Aylmar' or 'Ailmar.' " 2 "This family trace their name and descent from Ailmer or Athelmare, Earl of Cornwall, in the time of King Ethelred. Allmor, in Welsh, signifies a valley or dale." 3

Early Origins of the Elmore family

The surname Elmore was first found in Hampshire, where the first on record appears to have been Godwinus filius Elmari listed in 1115. 4

"A common surname in the Hundred Rolls. It was already going out of fashion in the 13th century as a font-name, and is rarely found as such in the 14th century, but it secured hereditary honours as a surname somewhat early, and as a consequence is well represented in our directories." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Aymar Hitche, Huntingdonshire; Adam Aylmer, Cambridgeshire; William Aylmar, Oxfordshire; and Avice Ailmar, Cambridgeshire.

John Aylmere, was rector of Ingworth, Norfolk in 1353. 5 Kirby's Quest listed Thomas Atlmer, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 6

Much further to the north in Scotland, Emme de Ailmer and Roger de Almere, both of Selkirkshire, rendered homage to King Edward I. in 1296. "The seal of the latter bears a hunting horn, stringed, and S' Roger d' Ainmer. As Roger de Aylemer, he accounts in 1304 for the ward of Trequair. Adam Aylmer was a tenant under the earl of Douglas in the vill of Tybris, 1376. " 7

Early History of the Elmore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elmore research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1221, 1316, 1421, 1516, 1521, 1543, 1552, 1553, 1557, 1558, 1570, 1571, 1574, 1594, 1601, 1602, 1634, 1650, 1672, 1720 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Elmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmore Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Elmore include Aylmer, Aylmore, Elmar, Elmer, Elmers, Elmore and others.

Early Notables of the Elmore family

Distinguished members of the family include Edward Almer or Aylmer (c. 1516-1574), of Denbigh and Gresford, Denbighshire, a Welsh politician, Justice of the Peace for Denbighshire from 1543 to his death and High Sheriff of Denbighshire for 1552-1553, 1557-1558 and 1570-1571. John Aylmer (AElmer or Elmer; 1521-1594), was an English bishop, constitutionalist and a Greek scholar. He was Bishop...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elmore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmore Ranking

In the United States, the name Elmore is the 1,157^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Elmore family to Ireland

Some of the Elmore family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 122 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmore migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Elmore or a variant listed above:

Elmore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Edward Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 9
Mrs. Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 9
Mr. Richard Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 9
Mr. Edward Elmore, Jr., who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 9
Henry Elmore, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elmore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Elmore, who landed in Virginia in 1713 10

Elmore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S O Elmore, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
Thomas Elmore, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 10
Michael Elmore, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 10

Elmore migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elmore Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Elmore, who settled in Northern Bay, Newfoundland in 1846 11
Edward Elmore was a fisherman in Grates Cove, Newfoundland in 1871 11

Elmore migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Elmore Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Elmore, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12

Elmore migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Elmore Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

M. E. Elmore, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Elmore (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General John Archer Elmore (1902-1971), American Assistant Commanding General 47th Division (1954) 13
Greg Elmore (b. 1946), American rock drummer formerly with The Brogues and Quicksilver Messenger Service
Franklin Harper Elmore (1799-1850), American politician, member of the US Congress, and later a Senator from South Carolina
Alfred Elmore (1815-1881), English (Irish born) painter
Mable Elmore, Canadian politician, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington (2009-)
Larry Elmore (b. 1948), American fantasy artist and an illustrator of Dungeons and Dragons
James Elmore Poole (b. 1927), American politician, Mayor of Americus, Georgia, 1922-27; Died in office 1927
Charles Elmore Cropley (1894-1952), American Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1927 until his death in 1952
George Elmore Danielson (1915-1998), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1971-1975) and (1975-1982)
Arthur Elmore Bostwick (1860-1942), American librarian and author

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) John Elmore. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Elmore/John_Archer/USA.html