Sumners History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxons of Britain first developed the name Sumners. It was a name given to someone who was a "summoner", a petty officer who cited and warned people to appear in court. The surname Sumners is derived from the Anglo-French words somenour and sumenour, which in turn were derived from the Old French words somoneor and semoneor, which mean summoner.

Early Origins of the Sumners family

The surname Sumners was first found in Oxfordshire at Bicester where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say at the time of the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Sumners family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sumners research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1635, 1669 and 1848 are included under the topic Early Sumners History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sumners Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Sumners have been found, including Sumner, Sumners and others.

Early Notables of the Sumners family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Willaim Somner (1598-1669), an Anglo-Saxon scholar, baptised in the church of St. Margaret, Canterbury. His father held the office of registrary of the court of Canterbury, under Sir Nathaniel Brent, commissary. "After passing through the free school at...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sumners Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sumners migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Sumners, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were:

Sumners Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Sumners, who arrived in Maryland in 1740 1

Sumners migration to Australia +

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

Sumners Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Sumners, British Convict who was convicted in Jamaica for life, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Sumners (post 1700) +

Hatton William Sumners (1875-1962), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Texas, 1913-47 3
Elmer C. Sumners, American politician, Mayor of Sedalia, Missouri, 1954 3
Mr. Francis Sumners, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1679 to 1680

The Sumners Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In medio tutissimus ibis
Motto Translation: Thou wilt go safest in the middle.

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html