Show ContentsGammeland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Gammeland

What does the name Gammeland mean?

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Gammeland. It was given to a person who was referred to as gamall, which was the Old Norman word for old.

Gameline (d. 1271), was Lord-Chancellor of Scotland and Bishop of St. Andrews, "one of the ‘Clerici Regis Alexandri II’ and archdeacon of St. Andrews. He was made Lord-Chancellor in 1250, and in 1254 was appointed one of the chaplains of Pope Innocent IV." 1

Early Origins of the Gammeland family

The surname Gammeland was first found in Somerset, where an Odo filius Gamelin was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2 They have also been found in Huntingdonshire and Oxfordshire since early times.

Early History of the Gammeland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gammeland research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1255, 1271, 1273, 1379, 1625, 1666 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Gammeland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gammeland Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Gammeland has appeared include Gamelin, Gamelyn, Gamlyn, Gimlin, Gamlin, Gamblin, Gambling, Gambeling and many more.

Early Notables of the Gammeland family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gammeland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gammeland family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gammeland arrived in North America very early: Elizabeth, Mary and Robert Gamlin, who sailed to Massachusetts in 1632; Josias Gambling to Virginia in 1636; and William Gambling to Philadelphia in 1846..



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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