Show ContentsDormer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Dormer family

The surname Dormer was first found in Buckinghamshire at Wyng (Wing), a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district. 1

"The Dormers of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire were prosperous wool merchants well established here since the early 16th century."

"The Dormers were landed gentlemen in Oxfordshire in the time of Elizabeth, and the family was ennobled in 1615, Peterley House, Bucks, being in its possession in the 17th century (Napier's "Swyncombe" and Wing's "Steeple Barton"). A Leicestershire family of Dormer in the 17th century settled afterwards in Ireland." 2

Early History of the Dormer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dormer research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1514, 1537, 1551, 1552, 1575, 1584, 1590, 1591, 1592, 1593, 1603, 1604, 1610, 1611, 1615, 1616, 1617, 1636, 1643, 1645, 1660, 1679, 1680 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Dormer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dormer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dormer, Tormer, Dormar, Dormir, Domer, Domar and others.

Early Notables of the Dormer family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Sir Robert Dormer (died 1552), of West Wycombe and Wing, Buckinghamshire, and London; and his son, Sir William Dormer (c. 1514-1575) was a Tudor knight, captain and politician, best known for a broken...
  • Elizabeth Cellier (fl. 1680), 'the Popish midwife,' "was a member of the Dormer family. She married Peter Cellier, a Frenchman, and became a noted midwife in London. Originally she was a Protestant, b...

Migration of the Dormer family to Ireland

Some of the Dormer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Dormer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dormer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sir Fleetwood Dormer, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 3
  • Margaret Dormer, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3
  • Sarah Dormer, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 3
Dormer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Dormer, who landed in Georgia in 1748 3
  • Thomas Dormer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3

Dormer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dormer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Patrick Dormer, aged 67 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Perseverance" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 4

Dormer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dormer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Dormer, English convict from Oxford, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
  • George Dormer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 6
  • Judith Dormer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 6
  • Thomas Dormer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 6
  • Ellen Dormer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dormer 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:

Dormer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John J. Dormer, aged 22, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
  • Margaret Dormer, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
  • James Dormer, aged 20, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
  • George J. Dormer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
  • Anne J. Dormer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dormer (post 1700) +

  • Michael Edmund Francis Dormer (1937-2021), New Zealand cricketer. He played four first-class matches for Auckland in 1961-1962
  • John Dormer (1945-2017), Canadian politician, Mayor of Kamloops (1986–1988)
  • Robert Dormer (1610-1643), 1st Earl of Carnarvon, 2nd Baron Dormer
  • Robert Dormer (1551-1616), 1st Baron Dormer
  • Michael Dormer, San Diego-based artist, cartoonist and entrepreneur
  • Mortimer Dormer Leggett (1821-1896), American lawyer, school administrator, professor, and major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 26)
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HARPLEY 1848 - PASSENGER LIST. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm


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