Primer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Primer is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is a name for a priest or other ecclesiastical official who read at prime, the first canonical hour. The occupational name Primmer is derived from the Latin primus meaning first, prime. there was also another occupation which was known by the name primmer, and that was the Chief Forester of the King's lands. Since each derivation is equally appropriate Primer is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Primer family

The surname Primer was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Primer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Primer research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Primer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Primer Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Primer, Primar, Primmer, Brymmer, Brimmer and many more.

Early Notables of the Primer family

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

Primer migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Primer name or one of its variants:

Primer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Primer, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 1
Richard Primer, who landed in Maryland in 1667 1

Primer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Primer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Primer who was a planter of Fogo, Newfoundland in 1792 2

Primer migration to Australia +

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

Primer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Primer, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Citations +

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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor