Ellmore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Ellmore is derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Ædelmær, which literally means "noble, famous." The Gaelic form of the surname Ellmore is Aighlmear.

Early Origins of the Ellmore family

The surname Ellmore was first found in Essex, where they were tenants in chief and Lords of the manor of Aylmer.

"This family trace their name and descent from Ailmer or Athelmare, Earl of Cornwall, in the time of King Ethelred. Allmor, in Welsh, signifies a valley or dale." 1

"This Anglo-Saxon name came to Ireland after the Norman invasion and, settling in Leinster, families so called became hibernicized." 2

Early History of the Ellmore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellmore research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1650, 1678 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Ellmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellmore Spelling Variations

It was found during an investigation of the origins of the name Ellmore that church officials and medieval scribes often spelled the name as it sounded. This practice lead to a single person's being documented under many spelling variations. The name Ellmore has existed in the various shapes: Ailmer, Aylmer, Elmer, Elmore, Ellmore, Ellmer and others.

Early Notables of the Ellmore family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Matthew Aylmer (c.1650-1720), Lord Aylmer, Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, the second son of Sir Christopher Aylmer of Balrath, County Meath. "He entered the navy under the protection of the Duke of Buckingham, as...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ellmore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellmore migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Ellmore:

Ellmore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Ellmore, who settled in Virginia in 1654
Tho Ellmore, who landed in Virginia in 1654 3
Eliz Ellmore, who landed in Virginia in 1661 3

Ellmore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P G Ellmore, who arrived in Alaska in 1893 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellmore (post 1700) +

W. A. Ellmore, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Randolph County, 1940 4
Job G. Ellmore, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 2nd District, 1848 4

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html