Show ContentsCormey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Cormey is derived from the Old French word "corme", which referred to the fruit of the "sorb" or "service" tree. The surname most likely evolved from a nickname originally used for someone who lived near such a tree, or who sold its fruit at the market. 1

Early Origins of the Cormey family

The surname Cormey was first found in Brittany in de Chambray, where they held a family seat.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the family elected to follow the course of Protestantism against the established religion and were classified as Huguenots and followed the exodus from France from about the year 1681 through to 1701 to England and Southern Ireland. The name is listed amongst the Huguenots entering Southern Ireland in the Cork area.

From about 1850, the Cormiers migrated to North America and became one of the many Acadians who settled in the Magdalen Islands and later at St.Georges or Stephenville Crossing in Newfoundland. Under the adapted spelling of Cormey, they settled in the Codroy Valley District in Newfoundland, and an alternate spelling included Cormie. Meanwhile, many junior branches of the family flourished in England, Ireland, Newfoundland, and the Maritimes, in Canada, with various spellings.

Early History of the Cormey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cormey research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1480, 1584, 1601, 1606, 1609, 1642, 1646, 1664, 1684, 1695 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Cormey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cormey Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Cormey, including Cormier, Cormiere, Cormie, Cormey, De Cormie, De Cormey, De Cormier and many more.

Early Notables of the Cormey family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), a French tragedian, often called “the founder of French tragedy"; Michel Corneille the Elder (c. 1601-1664)...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cormey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cormey family

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Cormey surname were Robert Cormier (1602–1712), a ship’s carpenter born in Poitou, who settled in Acadia in 1650; John Cormie who settled in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1790.



  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.


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