Jamerson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Jamerson family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Jamerson is derived from "son of James". 1

Early Origins of the Jamerson family

The surname Jamerson was first found in on the Isle of Bute, where "a family named Jamieson or Neilson held the office of Crowner of Bute from the beginning of the fourteenth century or earlier to the seventeenth century. He was granted lands by Robert the Bruce for his services rendered to the King. King James II confirmed these grants later and further bestowed on the Jamiesons other territories on the Isle of Arran, particularly that of Over Kilmory. The office of Coroner (Crowner) was hereditary with the family. " 2

Other early records include: Alexander Jemison who had a safe conduct to trade with England in 1445, William Jamyson who was tenant of Pollock in 1472, and John Jamesone was repledged to liberty of the burgh of Irvine in the same year.

Further to the south, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Jamessson; Johannes Jamesman (i.e. the servant of James); and Henricus Jamsman, 1379. 3

Early History of the Jamerson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jamerson research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1465, 1528, 1539, 1587, 1588, 1644, 1676, 1677, 1685, 1689, 1700, 1720, 1769, 1780 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Jamerson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jamerson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Jamerson has appeared in various documents spelled Jamieson, Jameson, Jamison, Jamyson, Jimisone and many more.

Early Notables of the Jamerson family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was George (Jamesone) Jameson (c. 1587-1644), Scotland's first eminent portrait-painter. "Born at Aberdeen, probably in 1588 (Bulloch, George Jamesone, p. 32), he was second son of Andrew Jamesone, master mason, and his wife Marjory, daughter of Gilbert Anderson, merchant, one of the magistrates of the city. After having practised as a portrait-painter in Scotland, he, according to a generally accepted tradition, which derives some corroborative evidence from the style of his painting, studied under Rubens in Antwerp, and was a fellow-pupil of Vandyck." 4William Jameson (fl. 1689-1720), was "lecturer on history at Glasgow University...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jamerson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jamerson Ranking

In the United States, the name Jamerson is the 5,541^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Jamerson family to Ireland

Some of the Jamerson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jamerson migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Jamerson or a variant listed above:

Jamerson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Jamerson, who landed in South Carolina in 1813 6
Thomas Jamerson, who arrived in South Carolina in 1813 6
William Jamerson, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1860 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Jamerson (post 1700) +

George Hairston Jamerson (1869-1960), American brigadier general during World War I
Wilbur R. "Shorty" Jamerson (1929-1994), American football player and coach
Londell "Tincy" Jamerson (1931-1975), American Negro league pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1948
Troy Donald Jamerson (b. 1967), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, an American rapper from South Jamaica, Queens, New York
Thomas Jamerson, American baritone who had an international career as an opera and concert performer from the 1960s through the 1990s
James Jamerson Jr. (1957-2016), American bass player and noted studio musician, known for his work with Bob Dylan, Tavares, The Temptations, and many more, son of James Jamerson
Natrell Jamerson (b. 1995), American football defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL)
Charles Dewey "Lefty" Jamerson (1900-1980), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox in 1924
James L. Jamerson (b. 1941), American retired United States Air Force General, Deputy Commander in Chief, United States European Command from 1995 to 1998
James Jamerson (1936-1983), American bass player, the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, according to Rolling Stone, he was the number one in its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Jamerson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ad littora tendit
Motto Translation: It makes for the shore.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)