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Ament History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Ament History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Ament family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from Hamon, an Old French personal name brought to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

"The name appears in Normandy during the following century as a surname, for Geoffrey, Ranulph, Waleran, Richard, and Stephen Hamon or Hammon are found on the Exchequer Rolls of the Duchy in 1180-98; and, as Hammond, became common in England. The last Abbot of Battle was a Hammond." 1

Early Origins of the Ament family

The surname Ament was first found in Kent. The Roll of Battle Abbey reveals that two brothers, sons or grandsons of Hamon Dentatus accompanied the Conqueror in his Conquest. The first was Robert Fitz-Hamon, the renowned Conqueror of Glamorganshire and the second was Haimon, named in the Domesday Book as "Dapifer," for having received the office of Lord Steward for the King. The latter died issueless while the former had four daughters, three of which had conventual lives. 2

The remaining daughter named Mabel married Robert Fitzroy, Earl of Gloucester. Hamon Dentatus had two other sons: Richard of Granville; and Creuquer who inherited the Barony of Chatham from Robert Fitz-Hamon and many of the Kentish estates of Hamon Dapifer. 2

These estates were passed down to Haimon de Crévequer (died 1208) who had one son Robert Haimon. The latter joined the confederacy of Barons against Henry III., and as a consequence lost all his estates.

Later, West-Acre in Norfolk was home to a branch of the family. "It is the property of A. Hamond, Esq., whose seat here, High House, is a handsome mansion in the Italian style, finely situated in a well-wooded park. The church is partly in the early and partly in the later English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains the mausoleum of the Hamond family, and many beautiful monuments to several of its members." 3

Early History of the Ament family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ament research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1209, 1579, 1600, 1605, 1621, 1630, 1647, 1654, 1658, 1660, 1665, 1672, 1681, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ament History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ament Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Ament include Hammond, Hammon, Hammons, Hamon, Hamond and others.

Early Notables of the Ament family

Notables of the family at this time include Matthew Hammond (died 1579) Unitarian ploughwright from Hetherset, Norfolk, who was executed for his beliefs; Thomas Hammond (c. 1600-1658), an officer in the New Model Army and a regicide; Henry Hammond (1605-1660), an English churchman; Thomas Hammond (1630-1681), an English-born merchant and landowner who settled in Norway, father of Sara Hammond...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ament Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ament Ranking

In the United States, the name Ament is the 15,601^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Ament family to Ireland

Some of the Ament family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ament migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Ament were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Ament Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pieter Ament, who landed in New York in 1715 5
Ernest Ament, aged 35, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
Georg Ament, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
Hans Geo Ament, aged 38, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
Johan Philip Ament, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ament migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ament Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Ament, who landed in Canada in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Ament (post 1700) +

Edward Newton Ament (1860-1949), American politician, Mayor of Berkeley, California (1932-1939)
Vanessa Theme Ament (b. 1955), American author, academic, Foley artist, and musician
Francis Thomas "Tom" Ament (1937-2014), American politician, Milwaukee County Executive (1992-2002)
Pat Ament (b. 1946), American rock climber, filmmaker, musician, and artist
William Scott Ament (1851-1909), American missionary to China for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
Jeffrey Allen Ament (b. 1963), American musician and songwriter, bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam
Kenneth Ament, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Alabama, 1982, 1988 6
Jacob J. Ament, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1960 6
F. Thomas Ament, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1996, 2000 6

The Ament 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: Per tot discrimina verun
Motto Translation: Through so many dangers

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html