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Hamlet History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hamlet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hamlet family

The surname Hamlet was first found in Sussex. The name Hamlet, like many surnames, began as a personal name, in this case a variation on the more common name Hammond or as "the son of Hamon." [1] The surname was derived from Haimo, a Germanic shortened form of any of several names beginning with "haim," an old German word meaning "home." The fact that the first bearer of the name chose a personal name for his surname may indicate that he was related to someone of the name or that it was the name of the lord to whom he owed allegiance, or it may have been an arbitrary choice. The name was also frequented in Cheshire and Lancashire as the Wills at Chester will attest with the entry of Ellen Hamlett, of Roby, Lancashire in 1685. [1]

Early History of the Hamlet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamlet research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 156 and 1568 are included under the topic Early Hamlet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamlet 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 Hamlet, Hamlett, Hamblet, Hamblett and others.

Early Notables of the Hamlet family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Hamlet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamlet Ranking

In the United States, the name Hamlet is the 8,830^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Hamlet 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 Hamlet or a variant listed above:

Hamlet Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Hamlet, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 [3]
William Hamlet, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1651 [3]

Hamlet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Hamlet, who landed in New York in 1835 [3]
Noah Hamlet, who landed in Arkansas in 1884 [3]

Hamlet Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Malcolm Hamlet, aged 23, arrived in New York City, New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Toronto" from Hull, England [4]
M. B. W. Hamlet, aged 23, originally from Oxford, England, arrived in New York City, New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Toronto" from Hull, England [5]
John Hamlet, aged 21, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Saxonia" from Liverpool, England [6]
Charles S. Hamlet, aged 24, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Susquehanna" from Havre, France [7]

Hamlet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hamlet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Hamlet, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Hamlet 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:

Hamlet Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Nathaniel Hamlet, aged 27, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamlet (post 1700) +

Norm Hamlet, American steel guitarist, member of Merle Haggard's The Strangers
Thomas Hamlet Averett (1800-1855), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia (1849-1853)
Hamlet O. Catenaccio, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1941-46 (New York County 18th District 1941-44, New York County 16th District 1945-46); Defeated, 1940; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1956 [8]
Hamlet D. Scrantom, American politician, Mayor of Rochester, New York, 1860 [9]

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6QH-LJ8 : 6 December 2014), Malcolm Hamlet, 08 Jan 1919; citing departure port Hull, England, arrival port New York City, New York, New York, ship name Toronto, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6QH-P2C : 6 December 2014), M. B. W. Hamlet, 08 Jan 1919; citing departure port Hull, England, arrival port New York City, New York, New York, ship name Toronto, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J67Q-K3Y : 6 December 2014), John Hamlet, 17 Apr 1919; citing departure port Liverpool, arrival port NY, ship name Saxonia, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J68H-F2J : 6 December 2014), Charles S. Hamlet, 10 Mar 1920; citing departure port Havre, arrival port New York, ship name Susquehanna, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html