Demarr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Demarr was originally "De La Mare, from the great fief of La Mare, near St. Opportune, in the comune of Autretot, Normandy; where their castle was built upon piles on the margin of the lake still called Grande-mare." 1

One source claims the name was derived from the Old French word "marre," meaning "a ram."

Early Origins of the Demarr family

The surname Demarr was first found in Normandy where "Sire de la Mare is one of the Norman nobles enumerated by Wace at the battle of Hastings; and the family became very numerous both in Normandy and England. Sir William de la Mare, and his lands in the valley of La Mare, are mentioned in a charter of St. Louis, dated 1259; and as many as nine Sires de La Mare (almost all of them bearing different arms) are entered on the roll of "Gentilshommes de la Normandie" given in the Nobiliaire." 1

The ancestor of the English families, Norman de La Mare, lived c. 1030 and Hugo de La Mare occurs in the Breton charter in 1070. This was one of his sons, of whom four went to England at the Conquest. 2

William de Mare was an undertenant in Wiltshire and Herefordshire according to the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Early History of the Demarr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Demarr research. Another 302 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1375, 1383, 1384, 1388, 1391, 1397, 1585, 1610, 1629, 1637, 1653, 1660, 1674, 1680, 1712 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Demarr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demarr Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Demarr, including Marre, Marres, Mar, La Marre, La Mare, La Marres, La Mares, La Mar, Maur, Maure, Maures, Maurre, Maurres, More, Mores, Morre, Mars, Maurs, Moure, Mourre, Merre, Mer, Mere and many more.

Early Notables of the Demarr family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Guillaume de la Marre, treasurer of France at Dijon. Thomas Lamer (died 1397), of Dorchester (Dorset) and London was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Demarr Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Demarr family

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Demarr surname were Alice Mare, aged 22; who settled in Barbados in 1635; Andrew Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1663; John Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1651; Mary Mare, who settled in Virginia in 1663.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)