Derringer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Derringer family lived in Kent, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Derringer family

The surname Derringer was first found in Kent where the family claim descendancy from "Norman de Morinis, whose ancestor, Vitalis FitzOsbert, lived in the reign of Henry II. Norman de Morinis married the daughter of Deringus, descended from the Norman Fitz-Dering, Sheriff of this county in King Stephens' reign. " 1

Derrington is a village west of the town of Stafford, in Staffordshire. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Dodintone and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Dod(d)a or Dud(d)a" from the Old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." 2

Early History of the Derringer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Derringer research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1540, 1576, 1598, 1610, 1617, 1625, 1629, 1636, 1644, 1650, 1658, 1660, 1662, 1670, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1689, 1695, 1711, 1713 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Derringer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derringer Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Dering, Deareing, Dearing, Deering, Derringer and many more.

Early Notables of the Derringer family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Edward Dering (1540?-1576), English Puritan divine who was descended from an ancient and still existing Kentish family, which claims to be of Saxon origin, was the third son of John Dering, Esq., of Surrenden-Dering, Kent. 3Sir Anthony Dering of Surrenden Dering in Pluckley, Kent (d.1636) was an early peer. His son, Sir Edward Dering (1598-1644), was an English antiquary and politician, Member of Parliament for Hythe and Kent (1629), also known for his Dering Roll, a 13th century Roll of arms, believed to be the earliest surviving English roll of arms currently owned...
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Derringer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derringer Ranking

In the United States, the name Derringer is the 17,384^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Derringer family to Ireland

Some of the Derringer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derringer migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Derringer or a variant listed above:

Derringer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Derringer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 5

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)