Contents [hide]

Richmond History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Richmond History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Richmond is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Richmond family lived in Yorkshire, at Richmond. This local name indicated that its original bearer hailed from Richmond, a location which takes its name from the Norman personal name Richard, meaning brave and strong. Richmond (Richemont) was originally a place in the arrondissement of Neufchatel in Normandy. 1

Not withstanding the above, we did find this interesting passage which we include in its entirety: "Alain le Roux, son of Eudes Count of Brittany, 'in his very youth not a little famous for his valour,' led the division comprising the men of Brittany and Maine, that formed the left wing of the Norman army at Hastings, and received three entire wapentakes in North Yorkshire, which became the great Honour of Richmond, the name given by the new possessor in the new language to the old English soke of Gilling." 2 Essentially this passage confirms the entry of the family into England with the Conqueror. Furthermore, the author goes on to explain that "Alain Fergant, Alain le Roux, and Alain le Noir " all arrived with the Conqueror and all were granted lands. Alain le Roux and Alain le Noir were brothers, the sons of Eudes of Brittany, Count of Penthievre. Alain le Roux's change to the name Richmond cleared up the confusion.

Early Origins of the Richmond family

The surname Richmond was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire at Richmond, a borough, market-town, and parish. "The town and castle seem to have been founded in the reign of William the Conqueror, by his nephew Alan Rufus, upon whom he bestowed the whole district, with the title of Earl, and who gave the place the name of 'Rich Mount,' indicating, it is presumed, the value he attached to it. The district had previously belonged to the Saxon Earl Edwin, and the charter, for dispossessing him of his Yorkshire estates, and conferring them on Alan, was granted at the siege of York, in 1069. " 3 Richmond in Surrey was anciently Sheen and was renamed by Henry VII., on his building of a palace there after his own title of Earl of Richmond in Yorkshire. 1

Early History of the Richmond family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Richmond research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1630, 1771, 1795, 1802, 1825, 1837 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Richmond History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richmond Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Richmond has been recorded under many different variations, including Richmond, Richmond, Richman and others.

Early Notables of the Richmond family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Christopher Richmond, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1630...
Thomas Richmond (1771-1837), was an English miniature-painter, the son of Thomas Richmond, originally of Bawtry, and of an old Yorkshire family...
In later years Richmond lived in the centre of fashion, 42 Half-Moon Street, Mayfair...

Richmond World Ranking

In the United States, the name Richmond is the 765^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Richmond is ranked the 978^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,054 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Richmond is the 936^th popular surname with an estimated 796 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Richmond as 769^th with 8,733 people. 7

Migration of the Richmond family to Ireland

Some of the Richmond family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richmond migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Richmonds were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Richmond Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Richmond, who landed in Virginia in 1622 8
John Richmond, who settled in Virginia in 1654 with Eleanor his wife
Tho Richmond, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 8
George Richmond, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 8
Daniel Richmond, who landed in Maryland in 1678 8

Richmond Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Richmond, who settled in Philadelphia in 1754
Ann Richmond, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 8
Anne Richmond, who settled in Virginia with her husband in 1761
John Richmond, who settled in Philadelphia in 1774

Richmond Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Richmond, who landed in America in 1810 8
Archibald Richmond, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 8
John Richmond, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 8
H E Richmond, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
Charles B Richmond, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Richmond migration to Australia +

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

Richmond Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Jane Richmond, British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Miss Elizabeth Richmond, English convict who was convicted in East Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Nathaniel Richmond, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. William Richmond, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
Peter Richmond, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Richmond 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:

Richmond Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Richmond, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Earl of Lonsdale" arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1840 14
Mr. Richmond, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Sir John Franklin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 22nd November 1842 15
Miss Richmond, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Sir John Franklin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 22nd November 1842 15
Miss Richmond, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th May 1853 15
Mr. C. H. Richmond, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th May 1853 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Richmond (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General Adam Richmond (1889-1959), American Judge Advocate 3rd Army in 1941 16
Julius Benjamin Richmond (1916-2008), United States Surgeon General from 1977 to 1981
Mitch Richmond (b. 1965), American basketball player
Jonathan Richmond (1774-1853), U.S. Representative from New York
Frederick William Richmond (b. 1923), American former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives
Danny Richmond (b. 1984), American professional ice hockey player
Mrs. Byron L. Richmond, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1939 17
Allen D. Richmond, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 23rd District, 1903-04 17
Albert E. Richmond, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County 2nd District, 1852 17
A. C. Richmond, American politician, Delegate to South Carolina State Constitutional Convention from Berkeley County, 1868 17
... (Another 62 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Richmond family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Miss Pamela Gayle Richmond (1955-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Mt. Eden, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 18

HMS Royal Oak

Peter Richmond, British Lieutenant (E) with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 19

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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
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/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Adam Richmond. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Richmond/Adam/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html