Hemmer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancestral home of the Hemmer family is in Austria, where the surname first emerged almost a millennium ago. The name Hemmer is a contraction of the German "Hammerschmied," meaning "blacksmith," and was most likely first borne by someone who held this occupation. Alternatively, the name may be derived from the place name "Hammel;" in this instance, the name would refer to someone hailing from the town of Hammel.

According to Grimm and Forstemann, Hammer or Hamer is "a name under which traces of Thor are still to be found in the popular speech of Germany, and it is derived, no doubt, from the celebrated hammer or mallet which he wielded." 1

Early Origins of the Hemmer family

The surname Hemmer was first found in southern Germany and Austria, where the family became noted for its many branches throughout these regions. The first individual bearers of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles were "meister Hemer der smed (smith)" of Breslau, Silesia, in 1356, Hensl Hemerl of Iglau, Bohemia, in 1425, Ulrich Hamerl of Prague in 1390, and Nicolas Hamer of Worms in 1317.

Early History of the Hemmer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemmer research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1791, 1820 and 1836 are included under the topic Early Hemmer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemmer Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Hemmer include Hammer, Hammerer, Hamer, Hahmmer, Hahmer, Haammer, Haamer, Hammerer, Haemmerlein, Haemmerle, Hemmerle, Hammerl, Hamerl, Hemmerling, Hammerling, Hemerl, Hemer, Haemmer, Haemmerl and many more.

Early Notables of the Hemmer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Hemmer were Baron Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, who was a famous linguist and orientalist. He spent 50 years acquiring a vast library of the rarest and most valuable works of oriental...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hemmer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemmer Ranking

In the United States, the name Hemmer is the 12,209^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Hemmer migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Hemmer were

Hemmer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Herm Heinr W Hemmer, who arrived in America in 1841 4
Gotlieb Hemmer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 4
Gerhart H W Hemmer, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1855 4
Christian Hemmer, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 4
John Hemmer, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hemmer (post 1700) +

William A. Hemmer (1887-1956), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1940; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1944; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 8th District, 1944
Carrie L. Hemmer, American Republican politician, Member of New York Republican State Committee, 1950
William George "Bill" Hemmer (b. 1964), American television-news anchor and co-host of America's Newsroom on the Fox News Channel
Frank Hemmer (b. 1963), German gold and three-time bronze medalist slalom canoer
Per Christian Møller Hemmer (b. 1933), Norwegian physicist

Historic Events for the Hemmer family +

Bismarck

Kurt Hemmer (1922-1941), German Matrose II who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5

The Hemmer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per labores ad honores
Motto Translation: By work and honour.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
"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)
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details