Show ContentsElmore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the Strongbownians arrived in Ireland, they encountered an established an Irish system for creating hereditary surnames. However, like the Irish, the Anglo-Norman Strongbownians frequently had patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was formed from the name of the bearer's father, or another older relative. Therefore, since the Strongbownians' system was in many ways built on the same principles as the Irish, the two systems eventually attained a sort of merger. Therefore, since the Strongbownian's names often had Norman names which were French, diminutive suffixes, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el were added to the name of the bearer's father, or older relative. Another Norman way of creating a patronymic name was to use the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, both of which mean son. The surname Elmore is derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Ædelmær, which literally means "noble, famous." The Gaelic form of the surname Elmore is Aighlmear.

Early Origins of the Elmore family

The surname Elmore was first found in Essex, where they were tenants in chief and Lords of the manor of Aylmer.

"This family trace their name and descent from Ailmer or Athelmare, Earl of Cornwall, in the time of King Ethelred. Allmor, in Welsh, signifies a valley or dale." [1]

"This Anglo-Saxon name came to Ireland after the Norman invasion and, settling in Leinster, families so called became hibernicized." [2]

Early History of the Elmore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elmore research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1650, 1678 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Elmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmore Spelling Variations

During an investigation of the origin of each name, it was found that church officials and medieval scribes spelled many surnames as they sounded. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, a name could be spelt numerous ways. Some of the spelling variations for the name Elmore include Ailmer, Aylmer, Elmer, Elmore, Ellmore, Ellmer and others.

Early Notables of the Elmore family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Matthew Aylmer (c.1650-1720), Lord Aylmer, Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, the second son of Sir Christopher Aylmer of Balrath, County Meath. "He entered the navy under the protection of the Duke of Buckingham, as...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elmore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmore Ranking

In the United States, the name Elmore is the 1,157th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. [3]


United States Elmore migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Elmore:

Elmore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Edward Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" [4]
  • Mrs. Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" [4]
  • Mr. Richard Elmore, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" [4]
  • Mr. Edward Elmore, Jr., who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" [4]
  • Henry Elmore, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Elmore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Elmore, who landed in Virginia in 1713 [5]
Elmore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • S O Elmore, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
  • Thomas Elmore, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 [5]
  • Michael Elmore, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 [5]

Canada Elmore migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elmore Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Australia Elmore migration to Australia +

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

Elmore Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

New Zealand Elmore 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:

Elmore Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • M. E. Elmore, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Elmore (post 1700) +

  • Brigadier-General John Archer Elmore (1902-1971), American Assistant Commanding General 47th Division (1954) [8]
  • Greg Elmore (b. 1946), American rock drummer formerly with The Brogues and Quicksilver Messenger Service
  • Franklin Harper Elmore (1799-1850), American politician, member of the US Congress, and later a Senator from South Carolina
  • Mable Elmore, Canadian politician, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington (2009-)
  • Larry Elmore (b. 1948), American fantasy artist and an illustrator of Dungeons and Dragons
  • Alfred Elmore (1815-1881), English (Irish born) painter
  • James Elmore Poole (b. 1927), American politician, Mayor of Americus, Georgia, 1922-27; Died in office 1927
  • Charles Elmore Cropley (1894-1952), American Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1927 until his death in 1952
  • George Elmore Danielson (1915-1998), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1971-1975) and (1975-1982)
  • Arthur Elmore Bostwick (1860-1942), American librarian and author


  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  5. 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)
  6. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  8. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) John Elmore. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Elmore/John_Archer/USA.html


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