Ver Surname HistoryThe surname Ver is of Norman origin. It was introduced into Normandy by Norsemen where it was derived from the Old Norse word "ver" which meant a "station" or "fishing station." After the Norman Conquest, the name was later derived from the Old English word "wær," or "wer," meaning "a weir." In both cases, the name was a topographic name. 1 Early Origins of the Ver familyThe surname Ver was first found in Roxburghshire, where they were descended from Aubri de Vere, a descendant of the Duchess Judith in 1058. His son, another Aubri, accompanied William the Conqueror to Hastings in 1066, and built a castle at Hedingham in Essex, and held Kensington in Middlesex. He was the ancestor of the Earls of Oxford. Although the de Veres were highly respected members of the aristocracy in England, a branch of the family moved northward in 1069 and settled in the lowlands of Scotland at Sprowestun, in Roxburghshire. Another source provides more detail: "Of Norman origin from one or other of the places named Vere in Calvados, Manche, Eure-et-Loire, and Oise. The word was introduced into Normandy by the Norsemen from their own ver, a station, as in fiskiver, a fishing station, a word etymologically akin to Old English weir, wear, a dam. Ralph or Radulphus de Ver is perhaps the first of the name recorded in Scotland. As Ralph de Ver he was taken prisoner at Alnwick along with William the Lion in 1174. He witnessed a charter by King William "de decimis episcopatus" of Moray between 1174-84." 2 "The Weirs of Lesmahago, Blackwood, &c., in Lanarkshire, claim descent from the great baronial family of De Vere, having been founded in Scotland by Baltredus de Vere, in the reign of Malcolm IV., about the middle of the twelfth century. From documents quoted in Chambers' Caledonia, it appears that the name Vere, or Weir, was by no means uncommon among the Norman settlers in Scotland, in that century." 3 Some remained in England as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 noted: John de la Were, Oxfordshire; and Robert de la Were, Gloucestershire. 1 Early History of the Ver familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ver research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1012, 1069, 1174, 1296, 1398, 1400, 1432, 1489, 1497, 1600, 1638, 1662, 1670, 1694, 1713, 1794, 1838, 1876 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ver Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Weir, Vere, Ver and others. Early Notables of the Ver familyNotable among the family at this time was
Ver RankingIn the United States, the name Ver is the 17,503rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 Migration of the Ver family to IrelandSome of the Ver family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Ver familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Richard and Thomas Weir settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1814; and Robert Weir, who was a joiner from Glasgow, Scotland, was married in St. John's in 1847.
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