Hammersmith Surname History

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Hammersmith dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the village of Hammersley, in the county of Staffordshire. The surname Hammersmith was originally derived from the Old English word hamm, which means flat, low-lying land and the Old English word ley, which refers to a wood clearing or grove.

Early Origins of the Hammersmith family

The surname Hammersmith was first found in Staffordshire at Hammersley, "a locality probably to be found in Staffordshire." 1 We can find no record of this village today, but there is no doubt some or all of the family came from Staffordshire. By example, the Register of the University of Oxford list Walter Hamersley, in 1610 and William Hamersly in 1617 as both being from Staffordshire 1 Evidence of the family was also found at Kencott in Oxfordshire. It was here that "the family of Hammersley: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1767." 2

Early History of the Hammersmith family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hammersmith research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1687 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Hammersmith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hammersmith Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hammersmith have been found, including Hammersley, Hammersly and others.

Early Notables of the Hammersmith family

More information is included under the topic Early Hammersmith Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hammersmith migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Hammersmith, or a variant listed above:

Hammersmith Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Hammersmith, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 3

Hammersmith Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Martin Hammersmith, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1865 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Hammersmith (post 1700) +

Thomas Hammersmith, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Ohio 1st District, 1910 4
Donalda Ann Hammersmith, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 5th District, 1990, 1992 4

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html