Lamerd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Lamerd is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Lamerd comes from the Old German personal name Lambert or Lanbert. These names are both composed of the elements land, which means land or territory and berht, which means bright or famous.

"Lambeth is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, a corruption of lam-hithe, signifying the loam-hithe or muddy landing-place, and making one of the chief hithes or landing places on the banks of the Thames in Anglo-Saxon times." 1

Jaenbert, Janbriht, Jambert, Genberht, Lambert or Lanbriht (d. 791), was Archbishop of Canterbury, consecrated abbot of St. Augustine's at Canterbury in 760, and was regarded with friendship by Eadbert, king of Kent. "When foiled in his attempt to secure the body of Archbishop Bregwin for burial in his monastery, he appealed against the claim of the monks of Christ Church. His resolute behaviour excited the admiration of his opponents; they knew that he was prudent and able, and they had, it is said, no fancy for defending their claim at Rome. Accordingly they elected him to the vacant archbishopric, and he appears to have been consecrated on Septuagesima Sunday, 2 Feb. 766, and to have received the pall from Pope Paul I, probably in the course of 767." 2

"Lambert, Lanbert 'land-bright', a popular name from the 12th century, [was] probably introduced from Flanders where St Lambert of Maestricht was highly venerated." 3

Early Origins of the Lamerd family

The surname Lamerd was first found in Surrey where they were descended from the ancient Count of Mons and Louvain, born 940 A.D. died 1004. His three sons were Baldwin, Ralph, and Hugh Lambert. Accompanying Duke William to England at the Battle of Hastings, a Norman chief, Haco Lambert acquired lands from Duke William and is recorded in the Domesday Book.

Descended was Henry Fitz Lambert living in 1235 who was a benefactor of the church at Lincoln. Early records of the family were found the in the parish of Kirkby in Malham Dale in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

"The church is a large and handsome building, of the style that prevailed in the reign of Henry VII., and is the burial-place of the Lambert family, of whom General Lambert was distinguished, on the side of Cromwell, in the civil war." 4

Early History of the Lamerd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lamerd research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1153, 1532, 1536, 1600, 1601, 1615, 1619, 1628, 1647, 1649, 1659, 1660, 1684, 1691, 1702, 1742 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lamerd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lamerd Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Lambert, Lambard, Lamberth and others.

Early Notables of the Lamerd family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Lambarde, and English draper who served three times as Master of the Drapers' Company, an alderman and a sheriff of London; and his son, William Lambarde (1536-1601), an English antiquarian, writer on legal subjects, and politician; John Lambert (1619-1684), an English Parliamentary general and politician, imprisoned in the Tower of...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lamerd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lamerd family to Ireland

Some of the Lamerd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 128 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lamerd family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lamerd or a variant listed above: Anne Lambert, who settled in Virginia in 1653.

Citations +

Hargrave, Basil, Origins and Meanings of Popular Phrases & Names. London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd, Cobham House, 24 and 26 Black Friars Lane, 1949. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.