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| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
The ancestral home of the Hemer family is in Austria, where the surname first emerged almost a millennium ago. The name Hemer 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
The surname Hemer 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemer research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1791, 1820 and 1836 are included under the topic Early Hemer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Hemer include Hammer, Hammerer, Hamer, Hahmmer, Hahmer, Haammer, Haamer, Hammerer, Haemmerlein, Haemmerle, Hemmerle, Hammerl, Hamerl, Hemmerling, Hammerling, Hemerl, Hemer, Haemmer, Haemmerl and many more.
During this period prominent bearers of the name Hemer 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 Hemer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Hemer were Rinehart Hammer, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1729; Johann Georg Hammerer, who came to Philadelphia in 1770; as did Andreas Haemmerlein in 1848; Carl Ludwig Hamer, who settled in Texas in 1850.