Show ContentsVerrier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Verrier family

The surname Verrier was first found in Norfolk where "Osberno Verrer" witnesses a grant of the younger William de Albini, Earl of Arundel, of some land at Quiddenham in Norfolk to Reading Abbey; and about 1272 Robert and Roger le Verer, of Essex, occur in the Rotuli Hundredorum. Walkeline le Werreer gave the advowson of the church of Winfrith (afterwards Winfrith-Newburgh) to Glastonbury Abbey, between 1102 and 1120; which grant was confirmed by his nephew, William de Glastonia, and afterwards by Robert de Newburgh, who describes the two preceding benefactors as his "ancestors." 1

"Hamonis Verrarii " was one of the benefactors of St. Alban's Abbey that are alluded to in King John's confirmation charter. A family of the name long existed at Sandwich in Kent, where, within the altar rails of St. Mary's Church, and at the west end of the nave, "are memorials of many of the family of Verrier, of this town." 1

Early History of the Verrier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Verrier research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1455, 1487, 1603, 1664 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Verrier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Verrier 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 Verrier family name include Verrer, Verrier, Verriour, Veryet, Verieur, Verry and many more.

Early Notables of the Verrier family

  • William Verrier, Mayor of Sandwich in 1664
  • John Verrier one of the Cinque Port Barons elected to support the Royal Canopy at James II.'s coronation in 1685. The dress of the canopy-bearers, as settled by the Brotherhood in 1603, was "a scarlet...

Verrier Ranking

France, the name Verrier is the 726th most popular surname with an estimated 6,729 people with that name. 2


Verrier migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Verrier surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Verrier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Verrier, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 3
  • James Verrier was brought to America in 1769 as a convict, and left to do the best he could with himself in a new land
Verrier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jane Verrier, who arrived in Baltimore, at the age of 36, in 1828
  • Helena Verrier went to Philadelphia in 1880

Verrier migration to Australia +

Verrier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Hannah Verrier, aged 19, a general servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Magdalena" 4
  • Alfred Verrier, aged 23, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nabob"

Contemporary Notables of the name Verrier (post 1700) +

  • Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877), French astronomer and mathematician
  • Sarah Verrier (b. 2002), Australian rules footballer
  • Alix Verrier (1931-2024), Haitian Roman Catholic prelate
  • Verrier Elwin (1902-1964), English self-trained anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist from Dover


  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. South Australian Register Friday 26th August 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdalena 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1853.shtml


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