Rimer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Anglo-Saxon name Rimer comes from when its first bearer worked as a poet, from the Old English words rime or ryme, in other words, one who was called the rhymer, poet, versifier, singer. "In South-west Lancashire Rimmer has ramified very strongly; but it was spelt Rymer in the 16th century." 1

Anciently they undoubtedly derived their name from the court Rhymer or Versificator, a practice that started with King Henry III of England.

Early Origins of the Rimer family

The surname Rimer was first found in Yorkshire where Warin Rymer was listed in 1229. A few years later, Richard le Rimour was found in Lancashire in 1277. 2 The Assize Rolls of Lancashire list Roger le Rymeur in 1246 and Thomas the Rymour [Thomas of Erceldoune], was the first Scottish poet. 3

In the 16th and 17th century, Cheshire became a stronghold for the family as the Wills at Chester included: Roger Rymer, of Walton, 1579; Peter Rymer, of North Meols, 1591; William Rymer, of Formby, 1614; John Rimmer, of Formby, 1615; and Gilbert Rimmer, of North Meols, 1617. 1

Early History of the Rimer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rimer research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1579, 1591, 1614, 1615 and 1617 are included under the topic Early Rimer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rimer Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Rimer include Rimmer, Rimer, Remmer, Rhymer, Rymer and others.

Early Notables of the Rimer family

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

Rimer Ranking

In the United States, the name Rimer is the 17,170^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Rimer migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Rimer or a variant listed above:

Rimer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Friedrich August Rimer, who arrived in Desterro, Brazil in 1850 5
Carl Rimer, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1880 5
Auguste Rimer, aged 20, who settled in America, in 1893

Rimer Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward Sherraid Rimer, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908

Contemporary Notables of the name Rimer (post 1700) +

Sir Colin Percy Farquharson Rimer QC (b. 1944), English jurist, Judge of the English Court of Appeal (1994-2014)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)