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Hamer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hamer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Anglo-Saxon name Hamer comes from when the family resided in the village of Hamer in the parish of Rochdale in the county of Lancashire. 1

The name may have been an occupational name "for a maker or seller of hammers, from the Old English hamor." 2

"Hamer may have been an old Saxon forename; for there is in co. Lincoln a place called Hameringham; i. e., Home of Hamer's son. One of the German names of Thor was Hamar. Hamerton, Hamer's, Thor's, or Hammer town." 3

Early Origins of the Hamer family

The surname Hamer was first found in Lancashire where the first record of the family was John of the Hamore who was listed there in the Assize Rolls of 1401. However, while this entry is regarded as the starting point for the family, there was another entry, that of Richard Hamer who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2

Early History of the Hamer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamer research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1426, 1572, 1574, 1590, 1597 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Hamer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamer 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. Hamer has been recorded under many different variations, including Hamer, Heymer and others.

Early Notables of the Hamer family

Notables of the family at this time include

Samuel Hamer, who was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford in 15901...

Hamer Ranking

In the United States, the name Hamer is the 3,573^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Hamer 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 Hamer or a variant listed above:

Hamer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Percy and Raphe Hamer, who settled in Virginia in 1626
Edward Hamer, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 5
Pee Hamer, who landed in Virginia in 1653 5

Hamer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Peter Hamer, who landed in New York in 1709 5
Johann Henrich Hamer, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 5
Fredk Hamer, aged 35, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 5
Jacob Hamer, aged 16, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 5
Sebastian Hamer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

B Hamer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 5
Hannah Hamer, aged 23, who landed in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 5
Richard Hamer, aged 34, who arrived in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 5
Mary Hamer, aged 2, who arrived in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 5
John Hamer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hamer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Hamer, (b. 1815), aged 28, English weaver who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1851 6
Mr. John Hamer, English convict who was convicted in Bolton, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Joseph Hamer, (b. 1814), aged 31, English dyer who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, he died in 1884 8
John Hamer, aged 54, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
Elizabeth Ann Hamer, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamer 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:

Hamer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Hamer, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Hamer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1851 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamer (post 1700) +

Francis Augustus "Frank" Hamer (1884-1955), American Texas Ranger, famous for organizing the posse and tracking down and killing Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), American civil rights leader, co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993
Rusty Hamer (1947-1990), born Russell Craig Hamer, an American television actor, best known for his role as "Rusty" on Make Room for Daddy (1953-1964)
Dean Hamer (b. 1951), American geneticist
Dale Hamer, American NFL football official
Walter Jay Hamer (b. 1907), American chemist and an authority in the field of electrochemistry
Sara Hamer, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 2004 10
S. B. Hamer, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1916 10
Richard Hamer, American politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate 55th District, 1919-22 10
James Willis Hamer, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate from Dillon County, 1931-38 10
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html