Hamer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Hamer

What does the name Hamer mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Hamer comes from when the family resided in the village of Hamer in the parish of Rochdale in the county of Lancashire. 1

The name may have been an occupational name "for a maker or seller of hammers, from the Old English hamor." 2

"Hamer may have been an old Saxon forename; for there is in co. Lincoln a place called Hameringham; i. e., Home of Hamer's son. One of the German names of Thor was Hamar. Hamerton, Hamer's, Thor's, or Hammer town." 3

Early Origins of the Hamer family

The surname Hamer was first found in Lancashire where the first record of the family was John of the Hamore who was listed there in the Assize Rolls of 1401. However, while this entry is regarded as the starting point for the family, there was another entry, that of Richard Hamer who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2

Early History of the Hamer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamer research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1426, 1572, 1574, 1590, 1597 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Hamer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamer Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hamer has been recorded under many different variations, including Hamer, Heymer and others.

Early Notables of the Hamer family

Samuel Hamer, who was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford in 15901...

Hamer Ranking

the United States, the name Hamer is the 3,573^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Hamer migration to Australia +

Hamer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hamer, English convict who was convicted in Bolton, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Henry Hamer, (b. 1815), aged 28, English weaver who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1851 6
Mr. Joseph Hamer, (b. 1814), aged 31, English dyer who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, he died in 1884 7
John Hamer, aged 54, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
Elizabeth Ann Hamer, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamer 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:

Hamer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Hamer, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Hamer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1851 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamer (post 1700) +

Francis Augustus "Frank" Hamer (1884-1955), American Texas Ranger, famous for organizing the posse and tracking down and killing Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), American civil rights leader, co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993, posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024
David Hamer (1923-2002), Australian politician
Sir Rupert "Dick" James Hamer AC, KCMG, ED (1916-2004), Australian Liberal Party politician, the 39th Premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981
David Hamer, Captain Australian Navy
Rusty Hamer (1947-1990), born Russell Craig Hamer, an American television actor, best known for his role as "Rusty" on Make Room for Daddy (1953-1964); he died tragically by suicide at the age of 42
Russell Hamer (1947-2024), Sri Lankan cricketer who played first-class for the Sri Lanka national team from 1968 to 1977
Ryke Geerd Hamer (1935-2017), German physician, developer of Germanic New Medicine, a system of pseudo-medicine that purports to be able to cure cancer
Thomas Ray Hamer (1864-1950), United States Representative from Idaho
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
"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 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html