Gammon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Gammon surname is derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "gambon," meaning "ham," which comes ultimately from a Norman-Picard form of the Old French "jambe" meaning "leg."
Early Origins of the Gammon family
The surname Gammon was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where John le Gamone, or le Gamene, was found in Southamptonshire; William Gamen, in Suffolk; Geoffrey Gamon, in Oxfordshire and Richard Gamen in Norfolk. 1 All held land at that time.
"Gammon is now a common name in North Devon, in the districts of Ilfracombe and Barnstaple. Two Tiverton churchwardens, in 1720 and 1751, bore this name." 2
Early History of the Gammon family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gammon research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1599, 1603, 1607, 1642, 1660, 1670, 1767 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Gammon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gammon Spelling Variations
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Gamon, Gambone, Gambon, Gammon, Gamboun, Gamboune and others.
Early Notables of the Gammon family
Notable amongst the family at this time was
- James Gammon (fl. 1660-1670), English engraver, known by a few works, which, though they possess little merit as engravings, are valued for their rarity. They are for the most part poor copies of bett...
- Hannibal Gamon or Gammon (fl. 1642), was a Cornish Puritan divine, descended from a family originally resident at Padstow in Cornwall, and was the eldest son of Hannibal Gamon. "He matriculated from B...
Gammon Ranking
In the United States, the name Gammon is the 5,065th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Gammon family to Ireland
Some of the Gammon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gammon migration to the United States +
Early records show that people bearing the name Gammon arrived in North America quite early:
Gammon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Nath Gammon, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 4
- John Gammon, who arrived in Virginia in 1674
Gammon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- John Gammon, who landed in New England in 1721 4
- William Gammon, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 4
- Philip Gammon, who landed in New England in 1757 4
- Joseph Gammon, who landed in New England in 1763 4
- Richard Gammon, who arrived in Virginia in 1765
Gammon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Rose Gammon, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 4
- James Gammon, who settled in San Francisco in 1852
- Ellen Gammon, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1893 4
Gammon migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gammon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Francies Gammon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- John Gammon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Lucy Gammon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- William Gammon, his wife Fear Curtis Gammon and their daughter, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1764
- Mr. William Gammon U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1785 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gammon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Peter Gammon, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breeze" from Dublin, Ireland
- Patrick Gammon, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breeze" from Dublin, Ireland
Gammon migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Gammon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. George Gammon, British convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Miss Mary J. Gammon, (b. 1879), aged 23, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Almora" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 8th March 1887 7
- Mr. Samuel Gammon, (b. 1879), aged 19, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Almora" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 8th March 1887 7
- Mr. Thomas Gammon, (b. 1879), aged 21, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Almora" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 8th March 1887 7
Gammon 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:
Gammon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. George Gammon, (b. 1858), aged 21, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Gammon (post 1700) +
- William Howard Gammon, American educator and Computer Specialist, American University, Washington, DC
- Kendall Robert Gammon (b. 1968), American professional (NFL) football player
- James Gammon (1940-2010), American actor
- Samuel Rhea III Gammon (b. 1924), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius, 1978 9
- Lemuel Gammon, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1916 9
- Gussie Gammon, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 2008 9
- Connie Gammon, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 2002 9
- Stephen George Gammon (b. 1939), Welsh former professional footballer
- Staff Sergeant Archer T Gammon (1918-1945), American soldier who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
Historic Events for the Gammon family +
- Mrs. Bridget Gammon (1842-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Mr. Freddie John Gammon (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Miss Laura Violet Gammon (1916-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Mr. James Henry Gammon, British Sergeant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 11
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)
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
- 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 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html