Contents [hide]

Somers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Somers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Somers came from the baptismal name for the son of Summer, a personal name given to a child who was born in the summer. 1

Looking at the surname and many of its variants over the past couple of hundred years, one can only presume that this is the logical and only explanation for the surname's origin. However, let's explore some contrarian explanations. The name could have been derived from "De Someri, a baronial family. Ralph de Summeri of Normandy temp. John. From Sommeri, near Rouen. " 2

The name could have been derived from the "personal-name Sumor but there is no evidence from the use of such a person named in the Domesday Book or later." 3

This noted author continues "the surname is probably identical with the Scottish "Simmer." In Scots, somer is 'a sumpter,' [(packhorse, mule, beast of burden)]applied to men and horses alike." 3 We shall leave the reader with the perplexing conundrum.

Early Origins of the Somers family

The surname Somers was first found in Worcestershire they trace their ancestry to the manor of Whiteladies.

One of the earliest records of the family was John Somer, Semur, Somerarius (fl. 1380), "Minorite astronomer, belonged to the Franciscan house at Bridgewater, and was probably at Oxford in 1380. " 4

One of the more interesting family members was William Sommers (died 1560), who is said to have been Henry VIII's fool and a native of Shropshire and "at one time a servant in the household of Richard Fermorq of Easton Neston, Northamptonshire. Brought by his master to the court at Greenwich, 'on a holy day,' about 1525, the king is reported to have noticed favourably his witty sallies and to have installed him at once in the royal household as the court fool. According to tradition, Sommers was soon on very familiar terms with the king. He puzzled him with foolish riddles, and amused him by playing practical jokes on Cardinal Wolsey. " 4

Early History of the Somers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Somers research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1554, 1560, 1603, 1610, 1651, 1690, 1697, 1716, 1759, 1791, 1824 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Somers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Somers Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Somers has been recorded under many different variations, including Somers, Sommers, Summers, Sommer, Summer, Somerton, Sommerton, Sumpton, Sumption and many more.

Early Notables of the Somers family

Distinguished members of the family include

Henry Somer (fl. 1440), Chancellor of the Exchequer, probably a relative of John Somer, Clerk of the Exchequer in the early years of Henry IV; and William 'Will' Sommers (or Somers) (died 1560), the b...
Admiral Sir George Somers (1554-1610), was an English naval commander, knighted in 1603, leader of several successful privateering ventures against the Spanish, shipwrecked on Bermuda in 1690 with set...
John Somers or Sommers (1651-1716), 1st Baron Somers of Evesham, was an English jurist and statesman in the Glorious Revolution, who became Lord High Chancellor in 1697

Somers Ranking

In the United States, the name Somers is the 3,360^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5 However, in Netherlands, the name Somers is ranked the 925^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,209 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Somers family to Ireland

Some of the Somers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 136 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Somers migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Somers or a variant listed above:

Somers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sir George Somers, (1554 - 1610), who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610, returned to Bermuda for supplies and died on the ship. 7
Capt. Henry Somers, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610.
Mr. James Somers, aged 22, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 7
Abraham and Alexander Somers, who settled in Virginia in 1655
Alex Somers, who landed in Virginia in 1655 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Somers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Somers, who arrived in Georgia in 1733
George Somers, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1753

Somers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Somers, aged 44, who landed in Massachusetts in 1813 7
J H Somers, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
William Somers, who arrived in Mississippi in 1857 7
Charles Somers, aged 26, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1874 7
Thomas Somers, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 7

Somers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Somers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jane Somers was a merchant of St. John's, Newfoundlandin 1765 8

Somers Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joseph Somers, who settled in GooseBerry Cove, Newfoundland in 1800 8
Jo Somers, who arrived in Canada in 1812
Jo Somers, aged 20, who landed in Canada in 1812

Somers migration to Australia +

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

Somers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Somers, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Somers, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Edward Somers, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Edward Somers, aged 17, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Elizabeth Somers, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Somers 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:

Somers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Somers, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 11
John Somers, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Mary Somers, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Ellen Somers, aged 38, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dunedin" in 1875 12
Maretta Somers, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dunedin" in 1875 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Somers (post 1700) +

Suzanne Marie Somers (1946-2023), born Suzanne Marie Mahoney, an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company
Brett Somers (1924-2007), born Audrey Johnston, Canadian-born, American actress, singer, and comedienne, best known for her role as Blanche Madison opposite her real life husband Jack Klugman on The Odd Couple
Steve Somers (b. 1947), American talk radio host
Richard Somers (1779-1804), American officer of the United States Navy, eponym of six US Navy ships
Charles Somers (1868-1934), American executive and investor in baseball
Walter Somers (1839-1917), English engineer and businessman from Repton, Derbyshire who founded Walter Somers Limited which produced military items for use by the British Admiralty during World War I
Robert Somers (1822-1891), Scottish journalist and author, son of Robert Somers by his wife, Jane Gordon Gibson, born at Newton Stewart in the county of Wigtown
Edmund Sigismund Somers (1759-1824), Irish physician, born in Dublin about 1759, the son of William Somers, a mechanic
Daryl Paul Somers OAM (b. 1951), born Daryl Schulz, Australian triple award winning Gold Logie Award winning television personality and musician
Karl Somers (b. 1992), Irish footballer from Finglas, Dublin
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Somers family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Matthew Somers, British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 13

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)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 9th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html