Show ContentsCattermole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Cattermole name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Catermole in Norfolk, a place lost to modern maps. The name is first recorded in Suffolk, just to the south of Norfolk, and probably appeared there first because local surnames were often acquired by families after leaving the place they are named after. A surname like "de Catermole" would not serve to distinguish you from your neighbors in Catermole, but it may be appropriate if you had just arrived in a new town after leaving Catermole.

Early Origins of the Cattermole family

The surname Cattermole was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Cattermole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cattermole research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1478, 1524, 1668, 1743, 1748, 1780, 1786, 1795, 1800, 1823, 1858 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Cattermole History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattermole Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cattermole has undergone many spelling variations, including Cattermole, Cakyrmoll, Catermoll, Cackamoule, Cackamole, Cattermoul, Catermoul, Catmull, Cattermoll and many more.

Early Notables of the Cattermole family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Richard Cattermole (1795-1858), a writer who was appointed secretary to the Royal Society of Literature in 1823, and George Cattermole (1800-1868), a prominent watercolor painter


United States Cattermole migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cattermole were among those contributors:

Cattermole Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Cattermole, who arrived in Mississippi in 1840 1
  • John Charles Anton Cattermole, who settled in San Francisco in 1877
  • Henry John Cattermole, who settled in Santa Clara Co., CA in 1888

Canada Cattermole migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cattermole Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Cattermole, who settled in Ontario in 1871

New Zealand Cattermole 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:

Cattermole Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Cattermole, (b. 1837), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Cattermole (post 1700) +

  • Paul Gerald Cattermole (1977-2023), English singer and actor, best known for being a member of the pop group S Club 7 from 1998 to 2002.
  • Richard Cattermole (1795-1858), English miscellaneous writer who was appointed secretary to the Royal Society of Literature at its first general meeting on 17 June 1823 3
  • George Cattermole (1800-1868), English watercolours painter, born at Dickleborough, near Diss, Norfolk, on 8 Aug. 1800, the youngest child of a large family 3
  • Lee Cattermole (b. 1988), English professional footballer


  1. 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)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019


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