Rames History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
France

The Rames surname is of Norman origin, thought to be derived from the place name Rames in Seine-Inférieure, Normandy.

Early Origins of the Rames family

The surname Rames was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Metinges. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Metinge and the lands of Ramesdune in Suffolk, where Roger de Rames was an under-tenant who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The Rames castle in Normandy was near the forest, west of Bolbec. Roger was given considerable lands in England and directly related to the Mandevilles and the d'Estouteville.

Early History of the Rames family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rames research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1260 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Rames History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rames Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Raimes, Rames, Reams, Ramis, Raimis, Reymes, Rheims, Rhymes and many more.

Early Notables of the Rames family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Roger de Rames of Bolbec

Rames migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Rames or a variant listed above:

Rames Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Rames, who settled in Virginia in 1698
Mary Rames, who landed in Virginia in 1699 2

Rames Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Rames, aged 31, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1851 2
Juan Rames, who arrived in New Orleans in 1851
A Rames, aged 41, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1858 2
John Rames, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 2

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)