Newcomer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Anglo-Saxon name Newcomer come from its first bearer, who was a new person in town; a person who had just arrived to live in the area. The name Newcomer is derived from the Old English elements niwe, which means new, and cumen, which means come. The name is therefore transliterated as "newly come." Nickname surnames were frequently the result of a spontaneous reaction to a particular occasion or event. 1

Early Origins of the Newcomer family

The surname Newcomer was first found in Lincolnshire where Alan le Neucument was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1175. In Durham, William Neucum was listed at Boldon in 1183 and Walter le Neucumen was a Knights Templar in Lincolnshire in 1185. Again in Lincolnshire, Richard Newecwne was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Gilbert le Neucum, Lincolnshire; Gilbert le Neucomen, Lincolnshire; and Robert Neucomen, Lincolnshire. To the north in Yorkshire, Ricardus Newcomen was registered there in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

"Newcombe is an old Devonshire name. Richard Newcomb was twice mayor of Barnstaple in the reign of Henry VI. (G.). In the 16th and 17th centuries, a gentle family of Newcombe resided at Great Worthy, in Teignton - Drew. The name was well known in Exeter from the 16th to the 18th century, and Newcomb was the name of the Exeter mayors of 1612, 1703, and 1713. Ashburton also possessed a family of the name in the 16th century, Newcombe being the name of the Ashburton churchwardens of 1550 and 1569. The name still survives in Exeter and Barnstaple." 4

We found this interesting passage: "Somewhere about the year 1670, there was born in Dartmouth a man who did more to lay the foundations of the present manufacturing greatness of the kingdom, and to advance the progress of industrial operations throughout the world, than any other who can be named. This was Thomas Newcomin, the inventor of the first practical working steam-engine, upon which, after it had been many years in useful operation, the work of James Watt was based. Newcomin, with whom was associated another Dartmouth man, named Cawley, perfected his engine in 1705. Hardly anything is known of him except that he was a locksmith and ironmonger, and that he died in 1729. The date of his birth is quite uncertain, but no doubt has ever been thrown upon his being a Dartmouth worthy. The house in which he lived was pulled down a few years since, and the materials worked into a house called ' Newcomin Cottage.' West-Countrymen are proud of the fact that to Newcomin the world owes the stationary steam-engine, and to Trevithick, of Hayle, in Cornwall, the locomotive. Newcomin's engine was a perfectly new machine, though it had to a certain extent a predecessor in the ingenious device of Savery of Shilston ; and Trevithick's engine was the first that proved the practicability of steam locomotion on railroads." 5

Early History of the Newcomer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newcomer research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1627, 1669 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Newcomer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newcomer Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Newcomer has been spelled many different ways, including Newcombe, Newcom, Newcomb, Newcome, Newcomen and others.

Early Notables of the Newcomer family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newcomer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newcomer Ranking

In the United States, the name Newcomer is the 9,207^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Newcomer family to Ireland

Some of the Newcomer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newcomer migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Newcomers to arrive in North America:

Newcomer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Newcomer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1742 7
Ulrich Newcomer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 7
John Newcomer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 7
John Newcomer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 7

Newcomer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Geo. M. Newcomer, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1896

Newcomer Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Newcomer, aged 43, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
Henry R. Newcomer, aged 26, who settled in America, in 1907
Benjamin F. Newcomer, who immigrated to America, in 1907
H.R. Newcomer, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
Adelaede Newcomer, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Newcomer (post 1700) +

Francis K. Newcomer (1889-1967), American Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1948 to 1952)
Clarence Charles Newcomer (1923-2005), United States federal judge
Christian Newcomer (1749-1830), American farmer and preacher, the third Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (1813)
Scott Newcomer (b. 1965), American politician, Wisconsin legislator
Carrie Newcomer, American singer and songwriter
J. D. Newcomer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1888 8
George W. Newcomer, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1912 8
David H. Newcomer, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Washington County, 1872, 1876-78 8
Chauncey L. Newcomer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1936 8
Charles Newcomer, American politician, Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention from Ogle County, 1862 8
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html