Wallers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Etymology of Wallers

What does the name Wallers mean?

The ancient name of Wallers finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a mason. 1 Hence, Wallers is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. The surname was given to people who worked as stone masons. This surname was established in England, in the county of Nottingham, prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Early Origins of the Wallers family

The surname Wallers was first found in Nottinghamshire where John le Walmur was one of the first listings of the name. 2 While this is one of the first records, the name could have originated in Kent as noted "from Walers or Valers, of the Eastern Counties, probably descended from the Kentish family of Waller, who bore three leaves on a bend voided." 3

Continuing this investigation revealed William Waliere was listed as a Knight's Templar in Kent in 1185. 2 William le Waller was bailiff in Norwich in 1232.

From this point the name spread rapidly as seen by listings in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Robert le Waller in Norfolk; and Peter le Walur in Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Thomas Dyekok, waller, and Willelmus Goderd, waller. 4

Early History of the Wallers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wallers research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1604, 1606, 1624, 1639, 1666, 1668, 1678, 1679, 1680, 1682, 1687, 1699 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Wallers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wallers 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 Wallers family name include Waller, Wallere and others.

Early Notables of the Wallers family

Edmund Waller, FRS (1606-1687), an English poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1679; Sir Hardress Waller (c. 1604-1666), an English parliamentarian condemned to death for regicide, but was never executed; Sir William Waller (c. 1597-1668), the famous English Parliamentary general during the English Civil War; and his...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wallers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wallers family to Ireland

Some of the Wallers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wallers 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 Wallers surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Walleer who settled in Virginia in 1606; fourteen years before the "Mayflower"; Charles Wal1er who settled in Virginia in 1623; Andrew Waller settled in Barbados in 1639.

The Wallers Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Hic fructus virtutis
Motto Translation: This is the fruit of valour.

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)