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Gerrish History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Gerrish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Gerrish family

The surname Gerrish was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1273 when William, Humfrey and John Gerriss held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Gerrish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gerrish research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1455, 1487, 1680 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Gerrish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gerrish Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gerriss, Gerrish, Gerish, Gerras, Gerres, Cherrish, Cherish, Cherris, Cherriss, Gerygge, Gerridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Gerrish family

Distinguished members of the family include

Samuel Gerrish (1680s-1741) early American bookseller and publisher in Boston, Massachusetts

Gerrish Ranking

In the United States, the name Gerrish is the 18,214^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Gerrish migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gerrish Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Gerrish, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1639 2
John Gerrish, who landed in Virginia in 1641 2
Thomas Gerrish, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 2

Gerrish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Paul Gerrish, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1712 2

Gerrish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A Gerrish, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Gerrish migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gerrish Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Benjamin Gerrish, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
Joseph Gerrish, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
George Gerrish, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Benjamin Gerrish, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Bridges Gerrish, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gerrish 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:

Gerrish Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Gerrish (Gervish), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Euphemus" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th February 1857 3
George Gerrish, aged 35, a smith, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Lydia Gerrish, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
George Gerrish, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Charles Gerrish, aged 3, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gerrish (post 1700) +

Samuel D. Gerrish, American ionospheric physics researcher at Byrd Station, 1966, eponym of the Gerrish Peaks, Antarctica
Joseph Gerrish (1709-1774), American-born, Canadian soldier, merchant, judge and politician, Member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia
John O'Neill "Jack" Gerrish (1910-2010), American composer
Sylvia Gerrish (1860-1906), American musical theatre performer known as "The Girl with the Poetical Legs"
Benjamin Gerrish (1717-1772), American-born, Canadian merchant and politician, Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1759 to 1768
Willliam Ewart Ebenezer Gerrish (1898-1978), British philatelist, inducted into the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1958
Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus (1784-1850), Irish Major-General, second son of Ephraim Stannus of Comus, co. Tyrone

Citations +

"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html