Hermer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Hermer is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Hermer comes from the Old English given name Heremoer. It derives from the Old English elements here, which means army, and moer, which means fame. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been "an ancient personal name, occurring in the Domesday Book of Norfolk among the tenants in chief as Hermerus. " 2

The family may have originated in Normandy as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists John, Ralph, William Hermer, in Normandy, (1180 - 1198.) 3

Early Origins of the Hermer family

The surname Hermer was first found in Staffordshire where as a forename, Hermerus de la Bold was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. A few years later, Willelmus filius Hermeri was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1208 and William de Herme was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Sussex in 1207. Simon de Haremere was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Later again, Walter Hermer was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

In Yorkshire, Johannes Hermer was listed in the Poll Tax of Howdenshire in 1379 and Ricardus Hermer was found in the Poll Tax of Yorkshire of 1379. 5

Early History of the Hermer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hermer research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1569, 1572, 1575, 1594, 1610, 1613, 1646, 1647, 1670 and 1972 are included under the topic Early Hermer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hermer Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Harmer, Harmar, Hermer, Hermar, Hearmer, Hearmar and others.

Early Notables of the Hermer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Harmer or Harmar (c.1555- c.1613), English professor of Greek at Oxford. He was born, probably of humble parentage, at Newbury in Berkshire about 1555. Through the influence of the Earl of Leicester, he was elected to St. Mary's College, Winchester, in 1569, at the age of fourteen; in 1572 he obtained a scholarship at New College, Oxford, where he matriculated on 10 Jan. 1575...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hermer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hermer migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hermer or a variant listed above:

Hermer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Leond Hermer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Hermer (post 1700) +

H. M. Hermer, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of New Rochelle, New York, 1899 7

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html