Contents [hide]

Sommerville History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sommerville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The surname Sommerville originated in "Sommerville, now Sommervieux, near Caen." 1 Literally the place name meant Sumar's or Somer's estate.

"In 1165 Walter de Summerville held a fief from the Earl of Derby, two from the barony of Stafford, and one in York, from De Lacy. His seat was at Whichnor in Staffordshire, held as a member of the Honour of Tutbury, and from him descended Roger de Somerville, who was summoned to parliament as a Baron, and died in 1327." 2

Early Origins of the Sommerville family

The surname Sommerville was first found in Staffordshire, where "the progenitor of the noble family was Walter de Somerville, lord of Wicknor, and of Aston Somerville, in county Gloucester, who came into England with William the Conqueror, and left two sons, who became ancestors respectively of the English and Scottish Somervilles." 3 4

Another source has a slightly different understanding: "the name of the Norman was Sir Gualter de Somerville. He became Lord of Whichnour, county Stafford, and his descendants possessed considerable property, about the close of the 12th century, in the co. Lanark, and in other parts of Scotland; of whom William de Somerville was one of the barons appointed at the marriage of Alexander II. (whose reign commenced in 1214) to exercise in a tournament at the castle of Roxburgh. This William's descendant, James, thirteenth Lord Somerville, augmented his fortune considerably by an arrangement with his kinsman, William Somerville, Esq., of Eadstone, co. Warwick, and of Somerville-Aston, co. Gloucester. " 5

Black notes that "William de Somerville, first of the name in Scotland, came in the train of David I, and received lands in Lanarkshire. There were five Williams in succession, the last dying in 1282. " 6

Both of these scenarios could be true as David I of Scotland (1084-1153) was King of the Scots (1124-1153) and born 20 years after the Conquest. In Scotland, there are numerous early listings of the name in one form or another including: Robert de Sumeruilla who witnessed a charter by Duncan, Earl of Fife, to the nuns of North Berwick in 1177; Ralph de Sumervilla, acolyte, who was promoted to the church of Linton in 1255; and William Somerwele of the Plane, who was a charter witness in Edinburgh in 1492. 6

"The castle of Cowthalley, in the parish [of Carwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland], was, for many years, the baronial residence of the Sommervilles, one of the most opulent and powerful families of the country in the 12th century, and of whom William, the first Baron, was the firm adherent of Robert Bruce, during the disputed succession to the crown." 7

In England, Jacobus de Somerwill was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Devon and Robert de Somervile and Roger de Somerville were both listed in Staffordshire during the reign of Edward I. 3

An early branch of the family was found at Barton-Under-Needwood in Staffordshire. "[Barton-Under-Needwood] in Domesday Book called Bertune, gave name to one of the five wards into which the ancient royal forest of Needwood was divided. Edward the Confessor granted it to Henry de Ferrers, from whom it passed to the Somervilles, and afterwards to the earls of Derby, one of whom forfeited the property by rebellion in 1263." 8

Early History of the Sommerville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sommerville research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1327, 1370, 1400, 1444, 1456, 1484, 1491, 1492, 1518, 1523, 1549, 1560, 1567, 1569, 1583, 1614, 1632, 1675, 1690, 1742 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sommerville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sommerville Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sommerville, Summervillle, Somerville, Somerfield, Somervale, Somervile, Summerville, Summervale, Sumeril, Somahan and many more.

Early Notables of the Sommerville family

Notable among the family at this time was Thomas Somerville, 1st Lord Somerville (c. 1370-1444); William Somerville, 2nd Lord Somerville (c. 1400-1456); John Somerville, 3rd Lord Somerville (d. 1491); John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville (c. 1484-1523); Hugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville (c. 1484-1549); and James Somerville, 6th Lord Somerville (c. 1518-1569).John Somerville or Somervile (1560-1583), condemned for treason against the life of Queen Elizabeth, was the head of an ancient Catholic family possessing lands in Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, and having their chief seat at Edstone in the former county. He was eldest son of John Somervile of Edston. "On 19 Dec...
Another 137 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sommerville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sommerville Ranking

In the United States, the name Sommerville is the 8,525^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 9

Migration of the Sommerville family to Ireland

Some of the Sommerville family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sommerville migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sommerville Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Sommerville, who arrived in America in 1807 10
Thomas Sommerville, who landed in America in 1807 10
Matthew Sommerville, aged 20, who landed in America in 1822 10
Andrew, Archibald, Arthur, John, Joseph, and Mathew Sommerville, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1822 and 1864
Andw Sommerville, aged 20, who landed in America in 1822 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sommerville migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sommerville Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Andrew Sommerville, aged 34, a farm labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815
Janet Sommerville, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815
Donald Sommerville, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815
Isabella Sommerville, aged 4, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815

Sommerville migration to Australia +

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

Sommerville Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Sommerville, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 11
Caroline Hannah Sommerville, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 11
Jessie White Sommerville, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 11
Nancy Catherine Sommerville, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 11
William Sommerville, aged 46, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Navarino" 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sommerville 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:

Sommerville Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Janet Ferrier Sommerville, (b. 1829), aged 29, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 13
Mr. Thomas Sommerville, (b. 1829), aged 29, British ploughman travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Sommerville (post 1700) +

Joey Sommerville, American contemporary jazz musician and producer
Andrew Henry Sommerville (1876-1931), 19th century American Major League Baseball pitcher
Ian Sommerville (1940-1976), American electronics technician and computer programmer
William Sommerville, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 12th District, 1871 14
Walter Byers Sommerville (b. 1854), American Democratic Party politician, District Judge in Louisiana, 1900-11; Justice of Louisiana State Supreme Court, 1911-16 14
Thomas H. Sommerville, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1920 14
Richard S. Sommerville, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 28th District, 1968, 1970; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1988 14
Oscar C. Sommerville, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Idaho, 1936 14
Leo L. Sommerville, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Colorado 4th District, 1962 14
J. B. Sommerville, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Brooke County, 1877; Member of West Virginia State Senate 1st District, 1885-88 14
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839PrinceRegent.htm
South Australian Register Friday 22nd February 1856. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1856. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1856.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html