Show ContentsLattimore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Within the rugged landscape of Moors and hills called Wales the ancient name Lattimore was developed. At one time this surname was the profession for someone who was "a speaker of Latin, that being the vehicle of all record or transcript. Latin for centuries was the common ground on which all European ecclesiastics met. Thus it became looked upon as the language of interpretation." 1

"This surname is said to have been adopted from the tenure of certain lands, which required the possessor thereof to act as "latimer," or interpreter. In English history it occupies a prominent place, and has been borne at various times by the most distinguished warriors." 2

Early Origins of the Lattimore family

The surname Lattimore was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries.)

Four barons are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086: "David interpres, who held Dorset; Hugo latinarius who held Hants and Somerset; Ralph Latimarus, who held Essex; and Lewis Latinarius, who held Herefordshire. Ralph was Secretary to the Conqueror and from him derived William de Latimer, who in 1165 held a knight's fee of Vesci in Yorkshire." 1

"In the reign of Henry III. flourished William de Latimer, a crusader under Prince Edward, and a gallant soldier in the French wars; and under Edward III., William, Lord Latimer, his great grandson, a warrior of great renown, celebrated for a victory achieved over Charles of Blois, at the siege of Doveroy, where, with only 1600 men, English and Bretons, he encountered that Prince, who had come to the relief of the place at the head of 3,600 men; and defeated and slew him, besides nearly a thousand knights and esquires; taking prisoners also, two earls, twenty-seven lords, and fifteen hundred men-at-arms." 2

Latimer, a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire is often mistakenly understood to be the family's origin, but this village dates back to 1220 when it was listed as Yselhamstede and Isenhamstede, and by 1389, it was listed as Laytmer. However, the Laytmer family resided there by the 14th century. 3

Glaisdale in the North Riding of Yorkshire "was the property of Robert de Brus, lord of Skelton, and, with the rest of the parish of Danby, descended to the Thwengs, and afterwards to the Latimers, lords of Danby; it is now divided into many freeholds." 4 William Latimer was gifted Iselhempstead Latimer in Buckinghamshire from the estate of Simon Beresford.

Early History of the Lattimore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lattimore research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1380, 1467, 1487, 1545, 1555 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lattimore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lattimore Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Lattimore have included Latimer, Latimor, Lattimer, Lattimor, Lattimore and many more.

Early Notables of the Lattimore family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Hugh Latimer (c.1487-1555) English Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and Bishop of Worcester before the Reformation, later Church of England...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lattimore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lattimore Ranking

In the United States, the name Lattimore is the 4,361st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Lattimore family to Ireland

Some of the Lattimore family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lattimore migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Lattimore:

Lattimore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Clement Lattimore, who landed in Virginia in 1642 6
  • Hugh Lattimore, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 6
Lattimore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Lattimore, who landed in Virginia in 1713 6
Lattimore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Abraham Lattimore, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 6
  • Robert Lattimore, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1819 6
  • John N Lattimore, aged 40, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1837 6

Lattimore migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lattimore Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Lattimore, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Lattimore (post 1700) +

  • Vergel L. Lattimore, retired Brigadier General in the Air National Guard
  • Henry C. "Hank" Lattimore (1934-2010), American football coach
  • William "Bill" Hershel Lattimore (1884-1919), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Jonita Lattimore, American operatic soprano
  • Kenny Lattimore (b. 1970), American R&B singer, best known for his hits "Never Too Busy" and "For You"
  • Margaret Lattimore, American mezzo-soprano
  • Eleanor Frances Lattimore (1904-1986), American author and illustrator
  • Owen Lattimore (1900-1989), American educator and author
  • Harlan Lattimore (1908-1980), popular African American singer with several jazz orchestras
  • Richmond Alexander Lattimore (1906-1984), American poet and translator
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia


Houseofnames.com on Facebook