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Show ContentsGamon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The Gamon surname is derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "gambon," meaning "ham," which comes ultimately from a Norman-Picard form of the Old French "jambe" meaning "leg."

Early Origins of the Gamon family

The surname Gamon was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where John le Gamone, or le Gamene, was found in Southamptonshire; William Gamen, in Suffolk; Geoffrey Gamon, in Oxfordshire and Richard Gamen in Norfolk. 1 All held land at that time.

"Gammon is now a common name in North Devon, in the districts of Ilfracombe and Barnstaple. Two Tiverton churchwardens, in 1720 and 1751, bore this name." 2

Early History of the Gamon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gamon research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1599, 1603, 1607, 1642, 1660, 1670, 1767 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Gamon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gamon Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Gamon, Gambone, Gambon, Gammon, Gamboun, Gamboune and others.

Early Notables of the Gamon family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Hannibal Gamon or Gammon (fl. 1642), was a Cornish Puritan divine, descended from a family originally resident at Padstow in Cornwall, and was the eldest son of Hannibal Gamon. "He matriculated from B...

Ireland Migration of the Gamon family to Ireland

Some of the Gamon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Gamon migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Gamon were found:

Gamon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Anne Gamon, who landed in Virginia in 1653 3
Gamon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Rafael Gamon, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1849 3
  • Juan De Gamon, who arrived in Peru in 1877 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Gamon (post 1700) +

  • William A. Gamon, American politician, Mayor of Wheaton, Illinois, 1954 4
  • John Arthur Gamon (1883-1967), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Consul in Puerto Cortes, 1914-15; Corinto, 1915-16; Guaymas, 1917; Acapulco, 1917-21; Cobh, 1921-25; U.S. Consul General in London, 1925-28 4
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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