Elmar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Elmar surname is a habitational derived from the place name Elmore in Gloucestershire. The place name is in turn derived from the Old English "elm," meaning "elm," and "ofer," meaning "river bank," or "ridge." Another authority claims that the name was originally an Anglo-Saxon personal name. 1

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Aylmar' or 'Ailmar.' " 2 "This family trace their name and descent from Ailmer or Athelmare, Earl of Cornwall, in the time of King Ethelred. Allmor, in Welsh, signifies a valley or dale." 3

Early Origins of the Elmar family

The surname Elmar was first found in Hampshire, where the first on record appears to have been Godwinus filius Elmari listed in 1115. 4

"A common surname in the Hundred Rolls. It was already going out of fashion in the 13th century as a font-name, and is rarely found as such in the 14th century, but it secured hereditary honours as a surname somewhat early, and as a consequence is well represented in our directories." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Aymar Hitche, Huntingdonshire; Adam Aylmer, Cambridgeshire; William Aylmar, Oxfordshire; and Avice Ailmar, Cambridgeshire.

John Aylmere, was rector of Ingworth, Norfolk in 1353. 5 Kirby's Quest listed Thomas Atlmer, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 6

Much further to the north in Scotland, Emme de Ailmer and Roger de Almere, both of Selkirkshire, rendered homage to King Edward I. in 1296. "The seal of the latter bears a hunting horn, stringed, and S' Roger d' Ainmer. As Roger de Aylemer, he accounts in 1304 for the ward of Trequair. Adam Aylmer was a tenant under the earl of Douglas in the vill of Tybris, 1376. " 7

Early History of the Elmar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elmar research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1221, 1316, 1421, 1516, 1521, 1543, 1552, 1553, 1557, 1558, 1570, 1571, 1574, 1594, 1601, 1602, 1634, 1650, 1672, 1720 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Elmar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmar Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Elmar has been recorded under many different variations, including Aylmer, Aylmore, Elmar, Elmer, Elmers, Elmore and others.

Early Notables of the Elmar family

Distinguished members of the family include Edward Almer or Aylmer (c. 1516-1574), of Denbigh and Gresford, Denbighshire, a Welsh politician, Justice of the Peace for Denbighshire from 1543 to his death and High Sheriff of Denbighshire for 1552-1553, 1557-1558 and 1570-1571. John Aylmer (AElmer or Elmer; 1521-1594), was an English bishop, constitutionalist and a Greek scholar. He was Bishop...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elmar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Elmar family to Ireland

Some of the Elmar family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 122 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elmar migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Elmar or a variant listed above:

Elmar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Elmar, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1833

Contemporary Notables of the name Elmar (post 1700) +

Elmar Fischer (1936-2022), Austrian Roman Catholic prelate
Elmar Peter Brok (b. 1946), German politician, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany, Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (2012-2017)
Elmar Faber (1934-2017), German book publisher who was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007
Elmar René Rojas Azurdia (1942-2018), Guatemala architect before studying art in Guatemala, Spain, France and Italy
Elmar Kraushaar (b. 1950), German journalist and author born in Niederurff in northern Hesse, journalist for Berlin Victory Column since its inception in 1986
Elmar Klos (1910-1993), Czechoslovakian film director

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)