Wilmore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Wilmore family
The surname Wilmore was first found in Hampshire at Woolmer, between Liphook and Bordon. The surrounding Woolmer (Wolmer) Forest, is a Royal forest. Woolmer Green is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire.
"The surname is more probably from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Wulmer." 1
The earliest record of the family was found at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086 when Wlmer, Vlfmer, Wlmer were all listed at that time 2 A few years later, Ulmer Aeltredes was listed in Suffolk c. 1095. 3 This latter source also notes that the name could have been derived "from a lost Wolmoor in Ormskirk, Lancashire 'wolves moor'. " 3 But he also concurs that the aforementioned Woolmer Forest origin may be a possibility. Woolmore Fram in Melksham, Wiltshire was derived from "wolves' pool."
Early History of the Wilmore family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilmore research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1097, 1246, 1478, 1510, 1512, 1537, 1632, 1655, 1685, 1692, 1718, 1720, 1755 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Wilmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wilmore Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wolmer, Woolmer, Wollmore, Woolman, Ullmer, Ulmer, Wollmer, Wulmar, Wulmare, Wilmore, Wilmer, Wilmere, Wulmere, Woolmore, Woolmore, Wollmor and many more.
Early Notables of the Wilmore family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Wolman or Woleman (d. 1537), English divine, Dean of Wells, presumed to have been the son of Richard Wolman, cater to John Howard, duke of Norfolk. "There was a family of the name at Alderford, Norfolk. In 1478 Richard Wolman was a member of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He also studied abroad, being entered in the...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wilmore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wilmore Ranking
In the United States, the name Wilmore is the 12,702nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
Wilmore migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Wilmore Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Wilmore, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
- Mr. George James Wilmore, British Convict who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Corona" on 13th October 1866, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 6
Wilmore 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:
Wilmore Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Joseph Wilmore, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
- Joseph Wilmore, aged 30, a shepherd, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
- Jane Wilmore, aged 23, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
Contemporary Notables of the name Wilmore (post 1700) +
- Elister "Larry" Wilmore (b. 1961), American Peabody Award, Emmy Award and Humanitas Prize winning writer, actor and television producer, best known for his work on The Bernie Mac Show
- Marc Edward Wilmore (1963-2021), American ten-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated television writer, producer, actor, and comedian, best known for his work on The Simpsons, older brother Larry Wilmore
- Barry Eugene "Butch" Wilmore (b. 1962), American NASA Astronaut with over 259 hours in space 7
- Gayraud Stephen Wilmore Jr. (1921-2020), American writer, historian, ethicist, educator, and theologian, known for his role in the Civil Rights Movement
- Dale Wilmore McMillen (1880-1971), American proponent of the use of feed supplements in animal husbandry, founder of Wayne Feeds and Central Soya
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/corona
- NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Barry Wilmore. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/wilmore-be.html