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Homer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Homer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Homer is for a maker of helmets. Originally the name Homer was derived from the Old French word heumier. 1 2

Alternatively, the name could have been "a medieval personal name [derived from] a saint bearing it gave name to St. Omer in Picardy, from whence the founder of the family may have come to England, not necessarily, however, since Homerton, Homersham, Homersfield, &c., point distinctly to some Anglo-Saxon proprietor who rejoiced in this poetical designation." 3

Another source point to the Picardy, France origin in more detail: "St. Omer, a branch of the house of Bethune of Picardy, with which it is armorially identified. William, Castellan of St. Omer, was a distinguished historical character temp. Henry I. The family was extensively settled in England. William de St. Omer was a justice itinerant temp. Edward I. (Mon. ii. 809), and had a writ of military summons 1263. Sir Thomas de St. Omer was Lord of several Manors, Norfolk and Wilts 1316 (Parliamentary Writs). Hugh, Richard, and William de St. Omer occur in Norfolk, London, &c., 1130 (Pipe Rolls). " 4

And of course, we would be remiss if we did not mention the 8th century BC, Greek poet Homer, who authored the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that survive as the two of the best examples of ancient Greek literature.

Early Origins of the Homer family

The surname Homer was first found in Dorset where Thomas de Homere, had lands in 1338. 5 "He may have been so called, either from the 'martel de fer,' or hammer, being his favorite weapon, or from a manor named 'Homere.' (variant: Hamer.) A family surnamed Homer have been settled in Staffordshire for centuries. According to tradition, their ancestor, an officer, removed (moved) there in the fourteenth century, in consequence of having fought a duel. One of his descendants built a house at Ettingshall, near Bilston, parish of Sedgley, co. Stafford; and from him sprang - Edward Homer, of Ettingshall, whose son, Capt. John Homer, b. 1647, immigrated to Boston, Mass., circa 1672; married Margery Stephens; and died, leaving a son, Benjamin Homer, b. 1698, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Crowe, and Bethia Sears, his wife. " 5

A further scan through early rolls revealed Alan le Heumer, was a Freemen of York, 16 Edward II (during the 16th year of King Edward II's reign) 1 and in Somerset, we found Peter de Homere and John de Homere, 1 Edward III. 6 Holmer is a parish two miles from Hereford. 1

"The Homers of Dorchester and its neighbourhood possess an ancient Dorset surname. Homer is also the name of an ancient Staffordshire family, and there is a hamlet thus called in the adjoining county of Shropshire." 7

Early History of the Homer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Homer research. Another 278 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1279, 1296, 1332, 1576, 1731, 1761, 1799, 1838 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Homer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Homer Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval 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. The name has been spelled Homer, Holmer and others.

Early Notables of the Homer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Homer, Sheriff of Somerset in 1576

Homer Ranking

In the United States, the name Homer is the 4,446^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Homer migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Homer or a variant listed above:

Homer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Homer, who settled in Virginia in 1635
James Homer, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 9
Susanna Homer, who landed in Maryland in 1671 9
Nicholas Homer, who arrived in Maryland in 1672 9

Homer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Herbert Homer, who landed in New Jersey in 1730 9
Adam Homer, who landed in New Jersey in 1730 9
John Homer, who settled in New England in 1754
Christian Homer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1759 9

Homer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Homer of Freshwater, settled in America in 1812
Maria Homer, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 9
William Homer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 9

Homer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Homer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Homer was a servant of Battle Harbour in 1795

Homer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Roger Homer was a cooper of Carbonear in 1826

Homer migration to Australia +

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

Homer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Homer, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
George Homer, English convict from Bedford, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 29, 1828, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. James Homer, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Thomas Homer, (b. 1813), aged 20, English gunsmith who was convicted in London, England for 14 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1842 13
Elizabeth Homer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eden" in 1838 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Homer 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:

Homer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. G. Homer, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Burleigh" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th August 1856 15
John Homer, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Emily Homer, aged 23, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Homer (post 1700) +

Winslow Homer (1836-1910), American landscape painter and printmaker from Boston, Massachusetts, known for his work with Harper's Weekly Magazine and Ballou's Pictorial Magazine
Sidney Homer (1864-1953), American classical composer
Daryl Homer, American sabre fencer at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Louise Homer (1871-1947), American operatic contralto
Major-General John Louis Homer (1888-1961), American President of Army Ground Force Board 4 (1948) 16
Cyril F. Homer, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 15 aerial victories
Thomas Percy Homer (b. 1886), English footballer
Tom Homer (b. 1990), English rugby union player
Timothy John "Tim" Homer (d. 2017), New Zealand radio personality
Frederick Homer, Australian Diplomat
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Homer family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Arthur Wilfred Homer (1903-1941), Australian Chief Stoker from North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 17

HMS Hood

Mr. Harold Homer (b. 1893), English Chief Mechanician serving for the Royal Navy from Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Homer, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 19

RMS Titanic

Mr. Harry Homer, (alias E. Haven), aged 40, American First Class passenger from Indianapolis, Indiana who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 15 20

SS Atlantic

Mr. Thomas Homer, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Henry Vernon Homer, American Seaman First Class from Michigan, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 21

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)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1828 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1828
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EDEN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Eden.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) John Homer. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Homer/John_Louis/USA.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html