Show ContentsPrimm History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Primm is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name 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 Primm 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 Primm family

The surname Primm 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 Primm family

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

Primm Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Primm were recorded, including Primer, Primar, Primmer, Brymmer, Brimmer and many more.

Early Notables of the Primm family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Primmer of Devon

Primm Ranking

In the United States, the name Primm is the 8,441st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Primm migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Primm arrived in North America very early:

Primm Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Paul Primm, who arrived in America in 1783 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Primm (post 1700) +

  • Shane Christopher Primm (b. 1984), American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook