Paramore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Paramore surname comes from the Middle English word "paramour," meaning "a lover," from the Old French "par amour," or "with love." As such, it was likely originally a nickname, which later became a surname. 1 "This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the paramour,' a lover in an honest sense." 1

Early Origins of the Paramore family

The surname Paramore was first found in Lincolnshire where John Paramour was the first record of the family as listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400), generally known as the Father of English literature made and interesting reference to the name in Canterbury Tales: " 'My fourthe husbonde was a revellour, This is to sayn, he had a paramour.' " 2

"The Paramores, an old gentle family of Bagworth, Leicestershire, in the 16th and 17th centuries, are now rarely represented in the county Richard Paramor of this family contributed £25 for the defence of his country at the time of the expected Spanish invasion in 1588. Paramor was the name of very old Kentish families of Ash, St. Nicholas - in - Thanet, Fordwich, Eastry, etc., now mostly extinct. In the 13th century the name of Param'r occurred in Lincolnshire, and that of De Porremore in Devonshire." 3

Early History of the Paramore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paramore research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1241, 1510, 1581, 1600, 1623 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Paramore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paramore Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Paramore include Paramore, Paramor, Paramour, Paramoure, Parrymore, Parrymour, Parymore and many more.

Early Notables of the Paramore family

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

Paramore Ranking

In the United States, the name Paramore is the 12,756^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Paramore migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Paramore or a variant listed above:

Paramore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Miles Paramore, who landed in Virginia in 1662 5
John Paramore, who settled in Virginia in 1673
Mary Paramore, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 5

Paramore 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:

Paramore Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Paramore, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878
Mary A. Paramore, aged 29, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Paramore (post 1700) +

Edward E. Paramore (1895-1956), American screenwriter and playwright
James Martin Paramore (b. 1928), has been an American general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
James "Jim" Paramore, American football coach, official, and sports figure

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)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)