Show ContentsHemming History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Scottish annals reveal that the Hemming surname came from a place name in Scotland, named with Viking elements. The name was no doubt taken on when they lived in the Orkneys, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Hemming family

The surname Hemming was first found in the Orkneys, where "Hemming was one of the witnesses to the charter by King Duncan 11 to the monks of S. Cuthbert in 1094, the earliest Scottish charter." [1]

It is presumed that some of the family moved south to England, as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Hemmeng, Suffolk; John Hemming, Oxfordshire; and John Hemmyng, Kent. [2]

The Latin form of the name Hemmingus was listed in the Domesday Book. [3]

Hemming (fl. 1096), was an early English chronicler and was sub-prior of Worcester during the episcopate of Bishop Wulstan (d. 1096), at whose request he compiled the chartulary of the church of Worcester, still extant in Hemming's autograph in MS. Cotton. [4]

Hemming de Welega was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1166 and later, Walter, William Hemming was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Somerset in 1170. [5]

"Hemming or Heming, a name having its present home in the Evesham district, is an Anglo - Saxon Clan name. It was well known in Worcester in the 17th century, Richard Heming being the name of the mayor of the city in 1627 and 1657, and John Heming in 1677 (G.); the name is still in that city. One of the name was buried in Tenbury church in 1691 (N.). It is also now represented in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, sometimes in the form of Hemmings." [6]

Early History of the Hemming family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemming research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1602, 1623, 1630, 1653, 1677, 1684, 1695, 1700 and 1945 are included under the topic Early Hemming History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemming Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Hemming has been spelled Hemming, Heming, Hemming, Hemmings, Hemyng and others.

Early Notables of the Hemming family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • William Heminges (1602-c.1653), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the Caroline period and the ninth child and third son of John Heminges, the afore...

Hemming Ranking

In the United States, the name Hemming is the 17,308th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [7]


United States Hemming migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Hemming:

Hemming Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Samuel Hemming, who settled in New England in 1698
Hemming Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rudolph Hemming, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 [8]

Canada Hemming migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hemming Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Friedrich Hemming, who arrived in Quebec in 1850

Australia Hemming migration to Australia +

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

Hemming Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Hemming, (Weavell), (b. 1797), aged 18, English labourer who was convicted in Warwickshire, England for 14 years for bad notes, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1881 [9]
  • Mr. George Hemming, English convict who was convicted in Warwickshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [10]
  • Samuel Hemming, aged 52, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Marshall Bennett" [11]

New Zealand Hemming 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:

Hemming Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Henry Hemming, aged 32, a butcher, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Elizabeth Hemming, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Sarah Hemming, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Ann Hemming, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Alfred Hemming, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aloe" in 1863
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hemming (post 1700) +

  • Emil Hemming, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Norwalk; Elected 1926
  • Gary Hemming (1934-1969), noted American mountaineer
  • Ms. Susan Jane Hemming C.B.E., O.B.E. (b. 1965), British Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division for Crown Prosecution Service, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Law and Order, particularly in Counter Terrorism by her Majesty The Queen [12]
  • John Alexander Melvin Hemming (b. 1960), British politician, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley (2005-2015)
  • John Henry Hemming CMG (b. 1935), Canadian-born explorer and author, an expert on Incas and indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin
  • Sally Hemming, British painter and printmaker
  • Clifford James Hemming FBPS, FRSA (1909-2007), British child psychologist, educationalist and humanist
  • Tyler Hemming (b. 1985), Canadian soccer player
  • Nikki Hemming (b. 1967), Australian CEO and part owner of Sharman Networks
  • Harry Hemming Cornish (1871-1918), English cricketer who played for Middlesex in 1893

RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Samuel Ernest Hemming, aged 43, English Lamp Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 4 [13]


Suggested Readings for the name Hemming +

  • The Sable Curtain by Minnie Shumate Wookson.

  1. 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)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  11. South Australian Register Friday 29 April 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Marshall Bennett 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marshallbennett1853.shtml
  12. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  13. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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