Ormerwod History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ormerwod is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in a clearing in a wood. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old Scandinavian personal name Ormr and the Old English word rod, which meant "forest clearing." The name as a whole means "clearing of a man named Ormr." The original bearer lived in or near a clearing known by this name.

Early Origins of the Ormerwod family

The surname Ormerwod was first found in Lancashire where the first recorded ancestor was Matthew de Hormerodes, living about 1270. 1

Early History of the Ormerwod family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ormerwod research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1653 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Ormerwod History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ormerwod Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ormerwod family name include Ormerod, Omerod, Omrod, Ormrod and others.

Early Notables of the Ormerwod family

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

Migration of the Ormerwod family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ormerwod surname or a spelling variation of the name include : George and Thomas Omrod, who settled in Philadelphia in 1880 and 1840 respectively.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.