Hamlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hamlett family

The surname Hamlett was first found in Cornwall where "Hambly is an old name of the 17th century in the parishes of St. Breward, Egloshayle, and Bodmin; in the last two localities it is still represented." 1 "Hamley and Hambly are fairly common surnames in Cornwall." 2

"Treblethick [in the parish of St. Mabyn, Cornwall] was the seat of the Hamleys, in which family it had been for many preceding generations. But not long afterwards it became the property of Treise, from whom it passed with other estates of this family on the death of Sir Christopher Treise." 3

The prevalence for Cornish roots is undeniable, but we will include another source's understanding of the name.

"The name, is apparently from Hamly Bridge in Chiddingly (Sussex), though the surname is now associated mainly with Devon and Cornwall. " 4

Other early records of the family include: Henry de Hambelegh, 1296 in Subsidy Rolls (Sussex); John de Hamelee, 1305 in London Letter Books; Osbert Hameley, 1361 in Feet of Fines (Wiltshire); John Hamely, 1399 in Feet of Fines (Northants, Surrey); Agnes Hamblie, 1554 in IGI (Saint Columb, Cornwall); and Diggory Hamley, 1718 in IGI (Stoke Damerel, Devon). 4

Early History of the Hamlett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamlett research. Another 26 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1637, 1717, 1760 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Hamlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamlett Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Hambley, Hambly, Hamley, Hamby and others.

Early Notables of the Hamlett family

Notable amongst the family at this time was William Hamley, born in Bodmin, Cornwall, founder of what is today known as Hamleys, one of the largest toy stores in the world. He originally founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark"...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hamlett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamlett Ranking

In the United States, the name Hamlett is the 5,310^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Hamlett migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Hamlett:

Hamlett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Hamlett, who arrived in Virginia in 1665
David Hamlett, who landed in Virginia in 1665-1666 6
Dorothy Hamlett, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 6

Hamlett migration to Australia +

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

Hamlett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Hamlett, (b. 1827), aged 39, English boat man who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia, he died in 1893 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamlett (post 1700) +

Lucy Hamlett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1924 8
Mrs. C. M. Hamlett, American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia Democratic State Executive Committee, 1961 8
Bradley Maxon Hamlett, American politician, Member of the Montana Senate (2009-)
Barksdale Hamlett Jr. (1908-1979), United States Army four-star general, Commandant of the American sector of Berlin during the 1958 Berlin crisis, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (1962-1964), President of Norwich University in Vermont
Anthony Hamlett (b. 1971), American mixed martial artist and head coach and manager of Northwest Elite Fight Team
Thomas Lawrence "Lol" Hamlett (1917-1986), English footballer who played from 1938 to 1952 and managed the Congleton Town team
Dilys Hamlett (1928-2002), English stage actress
Denis Hamlett (b. 1969), Costa Rican former professional soccer player, current assistant coach for the New York Red Bulls

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html