Show ContentsHemminger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The place name, from which the Hemminger family take their surname arrived in Scotland with the Viking settlers. The first to use Hemminger as a name no doubt lived in the Orkneys, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Hemminger family

The surname Hemminger was first found in the Orkneys, where "Hemming was one of the witnesses to the charter by King Duncan 11 to the monks of S. Cuthbert in 1094, the earliest Scottish charter." 1

It is presumed that some of the family moved south to England, as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Hemmeng, Suffolk; John Hemming, Oxfordshire; and John Hemmyng, Kent. 2

The Latin form of the name Hemmingus was listed in the Domesday Book. 3

Hemming (fl. 1096), was an early English chronicler and was sub-prior of Worcester during the episcopate of Bishop Wulstan (d. 1096), at whose request he compiled the chartulary of the church of Worcester, still extant in Hemming's autograph in MS. Cotton. 4

Hemming de Welega was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1166 and later, Walter, William Hemming was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Somerset in 1170. 5

"Hemming or Heming, a name having its present home in the Evesham district, is an Anglo - Saxon Clan name. It was well known in Worcester in the 17th century, Richard Heming being the name of the mayor of the city in 1627 and 1657, and John Heming in 1677 (G.); the name is still in that city. One of the name was buried in Tenbury church in 1691 (N.). It is also now represented in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, sometimes in the form of Hemmings." 6

Early History of the Hemminger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemminger research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1602, 1623, 1630, 1653, 1677, 1684, 1695, 1700 and 1945 are included under the topic Early Hemminger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemminger Spelling Variations

Few standards of spelling and translation existed in the Middle Ages. spelling variations, are thus, an extremely common occurrence in records of ancient Scottish names. Over the years, Hemminger has been spelled Hemming, Heming, Hemming, Hemmings, Hemyng and others.

Early Notables of the Hemminger family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was John Heminges (sometimes spelled Heming or Heminge) (1566-1630), an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. He was also co-editor of the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623 and financial manager for the King's Men. A memorial statue of him can be found in London.William Heminges (1602-c.1653), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hemminger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hemminger migration to the United States +

Land and opportunity greeted all those who made it across the Atlantic. These settlers and their children went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Clan societies and other Scottish organizations have preserved much of this heritage for the ancestors of those brave Scots. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Hemminger to North America:

Hemminger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes, Hemminger Jr., who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 7
  • Jurg Fredk Hemminger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 7
  • Barbara Hemminger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 7
  • Georg Friedrich Hemminger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hemminger (post 1700) +

  • Cyril Franklin Hemminger, American Navy officer killed during the Battle of Savo Island, eponym of the USS Hemminger (DE-746), a Cannon-class destroyer escort


  1. 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)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. 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)


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