Cormiere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Cormiere is derived from the Old French word "corme", which referred to the fruit of the "sorb" or "service" tree. The surname most likely evolved from a nickname originally used for someone who lived near such a tree, or who sold its fruit at the market. 1

Early Origins of the Cormiere family

The surname Cormiere was first found in Brittany in de Chambray, where they held a family seat.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the family elected to follow the course of Protestantism against the established religion and were classified as Huguenots and followed the exodus from France from about the year 1681 through to 1701 to England and Southern Ireland. The name is listed amongst the Huguenots entering Southern Ireland in the Cork area.

From about 1850, the Cormiers migrated to North America and became one of the many Acadians who settled in the Magdalen Islands and later at St.Georges or Stephenville Crossing in Newfoundland. Under the adapted spelling of Cormey, they settled in the Codroy Valley District in Newfoundland, and an alternate spelling included Cormie. Meanwhile, many junior branches of the family flourished in England, Ireland, Newfoundland, and the Maritimes, in Canada, with various spellings.

Early History of the Cormiere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cormiere research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1480, 1584, 1601, 1606, 1609, 1642, 1646, 1664, 1684, 1695 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Cormiere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cormiere Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Cormiere is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Cormier, Cormiere, Cormie, Cormey, De Cormie, De Cormey, De Cormier and many more.

Early Notables of the Cormiere family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), a French tragedian, often called “the founder of French tragedy"; Michel Corneille the Elder (c. 1601-1664)...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cormiere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cormiere family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Cormiere has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Cormiere were Robert Cormier (1602–1712), a ship’s carpenter born in Poitou, who settled in Acadia in 1650; John Cormie who settled in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1790.