Primar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Primar

What does the name Primar mean?

The name Primar reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Primar is for a priest or other ecclesiastical official who read at prime, the first canonical hour. The occupational name Primmer is derived from the Latin primus meaning first, prime. there was also another occupation which was known by the name primmer, and that was the Chief Forester of the King's lands. Since each derivation is equally appropriate Primar is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Primar family

The surname Primar was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Primar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Primar research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Primar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Primar Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Primar are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Primar include Primer, Primar, Primmer, Brymmer, Brimmer and many more.

Early Notables of the Primar family

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

Primar migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Primar, or a variant listed above:

Primar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

B. Primar, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
B Primar, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 1

Sources +

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)