Demper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Demper came to England with the ancestors of the Demper family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Demper family lived in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The family was originally from Dampiere and Orne, Normandy. [1] [2]

The House of Dampierre held a prestigious place in the history of the Middle Ages. Named after Dampierre, in the Champagne region, members of the family were the Count of Flanders, Count of Nevers, Counts and Dukes of Rethel, Count of Artois and Count of Franche-Comté. The progenitor of the family is thought to have been Guy I of Dampierre (died 1151), son of Thibaut of Dampierre-sur-l’Aube and Elizabeth of Montlhéry.William I of Dampierre (died after 1173), Seigneur of Dampierre, Saint-Dizier, and Moëlain.

Early Origins of the Demper family

The surname Demper was first found in Lincolnshire where Richard de Damper was first listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. [2]

However another source claims to have earlier entries for the family in Yorkshire: William de Damper 1225; and William Damper 1229. [3]

Early History of the Demper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Demper research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1273, 1651, 1652, 1668, 1672, 1715 and 1802 are included under the topic Early Demper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demper Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Dampier, Damper, Demper, Dempier, Dammper, Dammpier, Dampere, Dampar, Dampir, Dampare, Dampire, Dammpare and many more.

Early Notables of the Demper family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Dampier (1651-1715), an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer, the first Englishman to explore sections of New Holland (Australia) and also the first person to circumnavigate the world three times, eponym of Dampier, Australia. He was the "son of a tenant-farmer at East Coker, near Yeovil, was baptised on 8 June 1652. His father died ten years afterwards; and his mother, who had kept on the farm...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Demper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demper migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Demper or a variant listed above:

Demper Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D C Demper, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [4]

The Demper Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dominus petra mea
Motto Translation: The Lord is my rock.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)