Contents [hide]

Hamner History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Hamner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Wales

The ancestral home of the Hamner family is in Austria, where the surname first emerged almost a millennium ago. The name Hamner is a contraction of the German "Hammerschmied," meaning "blacksmith," and was most likely first borne by someone who held this occupation. Alternatively, the name may be derived from the place name "Hammel;" in this instance, the name would refer to someone hailing from the town of Hammel.

According to Grimm and Forstemann, Hammer or Hamer is "a name under which traces of Thor are still to be found in the popular speech of Germany, and it is derived, no doubt, from the celebrated hammer or mallet which he wielded." 1

Early Origins of the Hamner family

The surname Hamner was first found in southern Germany and Austria, where the family became noted for its many branches throughout these regions. The first individual bearers of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles were "meister Hemer der smed (smith)" of Breslau, Silesia, in 1356, Hensl Hemerl of Iglau, Bohemia, in 1425, Ulrich Hamerl of Prague in 1390, and Nicolas Hamer of Worms in 1317.

Early History of the Hamner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamner research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1791, 1820 and 1836 are included under the topic Early Hamner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamner Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Hamner include Hammer, Hammerer, Hamer, Hahmmer, Hahmer, Haammer, Haamer, Hammerer, Haemmerlein, Haemmerle, Hemmerle, Hammerl, Hamerl, Hemmerling, Hammerling, Hemerl, Hemer, Haemmer, Haemmerl and many more.

Early Notables of the Hamner family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Hamner were Baron Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, who was a famous linguist and orientalist. He spent 50 years acquiring a vast library of the rarest and most valuable works of oriental...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hamner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamner Ranking

In the United States, the name Hamner is the 8,195^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Hamner migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Hamner were

Hamner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Rinehart Hamner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 4

Hamner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Herman Hamner, who was living in Sacramento, California in 1868

Hamner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hamner Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bryan Hamner, who was recorded in Ontario in 1832
David G Hamner, who arrived in Canada in 1841

Hamner 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:

Hamner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Sarah Ann Hamner, (b. 1832), aged 30, English house keeper from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamner (post 1700) +

Earl Henry Hamner Jr. (1923-2016), American two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated television writer and producer, best known for his work on The Waltons and Falcon Crest
Laura Vernon Hamner (1871-1968), American author, ranch historian, radio commentator, and educator
Henry Rawlings Hamner (b. 1922), English-born, American Navy lieutenant, eponym of the USS Hamner (DD-718)
Wesley Garvin Hamner (1924-2003), American Major League Baseball player
Scott Hamner, American Daytime Emmy Award winning, Writers Guild of America Award winning television writer, son of Earl Hamner
Cully Hamner, American comic book illustrator of the 2003 graphic novel Red, which was later adapted into a feature film in 2010
Granville Wilbur Hamner (1927-1993), American Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman
Wesley Hamner, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 138th District, 2010 6
Brigadier-General Nicholas Hamner Cobbs (1896-1968), American Fiscal Director of the Army (1942-1946) 7

The Hamner Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per labores ad honores
Motto Translation: By work and honour.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Nicholas Cobbs. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cobbs/Nicholas_Hamner/USA.html