Show ContentsEtmund History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Etmund came from the given name Edmond. 1 2

Saint Edmund or Eadmund (841-870), was King of the East Angles, martyr, and saint and was born in Saxony in the city of Nüremberg in 841, being the son of King Alkmund and Queen Scivare. "Eadmund began his reign on 25 Dec. 855, and was crowned and anointed king of East Anglia by Humbert, bishop of Hulme, the following Christmas day, being then fifteen years old." 3

Edmund or Eadmund (922?-946), king of the English, was son of Eadward the Elder and Edmund called Ironside (981?-1016), was king, the third son, probably, of Æthelred the Unready. Saint Edmund (1170?-1240), was Archbishop of Canterbury, born on St. Edmund's day (20 Nov.), probably between 1170 and 1175. 3

Early Origins of the Etmund family

The surname Etmund was first found in Oxfordshire, where the first on record of the family was Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent (1301-1330), youngest son of Edward I, by his second wife, Margaret of France. Born at Woodstock, he received from his father a revenue of seven thousand marks a year. It is thought that Edward I was to confer the rich earldom of Cornwall either on Edmund or on his elder brother Thomas of Brotherton; but the accession of Edward II negated that possibility. Edward II made Edmund Lord of the Castle and Honour of Knaresborough in 1319 and the next year granted him lands of the value of two thousand marks a year. 3

Many of the early records were in Latin as per the following: Simon dl. Edmundi, Norfolk; and Thomas filius Edmundi, Kent, both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. included the forename Edmund filius Osmund, Berkshire, Henry III-Edward I 5 and later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes Edmund; and Edmundua del Grange. 4

Early History of the Etmund family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Etmund research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1563, 1564, 1582, 1622 and 1639 are included under the topic Early Etmund History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Etmund Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Etmund has been recorded under many different variations, including Edmond, Edmonde, Edmon, Edmonds, Edmun, Edmund, Edmunds and many more.

Early Notables of the Etmund family

Distinguished members of the family include John Edmunds (died 1544), English Master of Peterhouse. 3 Sir Clement Edmondes (1564?-1622), was Clerk to the Council, born at Shrawardine in Shropshire. His parentage is not known, but he is described in the Oxford matriculation register as a yeoman's son...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Etmund Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Etmund family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Etmund or a variant listed above: Thomas Edmond who settled in Virginia in 1654. There was a John Edmonds living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630. Phillip Edmund brought his family to Barbados in 1663.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)


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