Show ContentsWilmot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Wilmot surname evolved from a form of the personal name William.

Early Origins of the Wilmot family

The surname Wilmot was first found in Derbyshire where "for 350 years, the Derbyshire Wilmots, who have been honoured with three baronetcies, have been settled at Derby or at Cliaddesden in its neighbourhood. There were Wilmots in Cambridgeshire in the 13th century." 1

Early records listed the name as both a forename and a surname. Walter Wilimot was listed in 1252 and Henry Wilmot was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 for Cheshire. Thomas Wilmet was listed in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 2

Early History of the Wilmot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilmot research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1008, 1570, 1612, 1614, 1621, 1644, 1647, 1650, 1651, 1652, 1658, 1680, 1681 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Wilmot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilmot Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Willmot, Wilmot, Wilmott, Willmott and others.

Early Notables of the Wilmot family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Charles Wilmot (c.1570-1644), created 1st Viscount Athlone on 4 June, 1621
  • John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), British Libertine and satirist
  • Elizabeth Wilmot, Countess of Rochester (1651-1681), an English heiress

Wilmot Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilmot is the 6,940th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Wilmot family to Ireland

Some of the Wilmot family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Wilmot migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilmot Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas and Susanna Wilmot, who settled in Virginia in 1648
  • Nicholas Wilmot, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1657 4
Wilmot Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Wilmot, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 4
  • George A E Wilmot, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1844 4
  • Edwin Wilmot, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 4
  • E. W. Wilmot, aged 47, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
  • Wilmot, aged 26, who settled in America, in 1894
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wilmot Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charlie Wilmot, aged 8, who landed in America from Openshaw, in 1903
  • Clair S. Wilmot, aged 34, who settled in America from Leeds, in 1903
  • Geo. A. Wilmot, aged 27, who settled in America from S. Africa, in 1904
  • Fred N. Wilmot, aged 42, who landed in America from Nottingham, England, in 1908
  • Annie Wilmot, aged 19, who immigrated to America from Coleraine, Ireland, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilmot migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilmot Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Capt. Lemuel Wilmot U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
  • Mr. Lemuel Wilmot U.E. born in Long Island, New York, USA who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Wilmot Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • R.D. Wilmot, aged 25, a merchant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Augusta" from Liverpool, England
  • Miss. Mary Wilmot, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Flora Hastings" departing 11th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but she died on board 6
  • Henry Wilmot a fisherman, on record in Bay de Este, Newfoundland, in 1871 7
Wilmot Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Frederick Wilmot, aged 32, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1913
  • Eardley J. Wilmot, aged 36, who immigrated to Nelson, BC Canada, in 1919
  • Anna Wilmot, aged 50, who immigrated to Belleville, Canada, in 1922
  • Gwendolyn Wilmot, aged 28, who immigrated to Belleville, Ontario Canada, in 1924

Wilmot migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wilmot Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Gordon Wilmot, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Miss Elizabeth Wilmot, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Ms. Elizabeth Wilmot, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 25th March 1813, sentenced for 7 years for stealing a parcel containing bank notes, property of North Cornwall Bank, transported aboard the ship "Wanstead" in August 1813 to Sydney, Australia 10
  • Mr. John Wilmot, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Ebenezer Wilmot, English convict who was convicted in Dorset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilmot migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wilmot Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • M Wilmot, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilmot (post 1700) +

  • James P. Wilmot (1916-1980), American aviation executive, Democratic Party organizer, eponym of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester
  • David Wilmot (1814-1868), American politician and eponym of the Wilmot Proviso which aimed to ban slavery in land gained from Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848
  • Sir Robert Wilmot (1708-1772), 1st Baronet, English civil servant
  • James Wilmot (1726-1807), English clergyman and alleged creator of Baconian theory
  • Aubrey Sidney Wilmot (1915-1989), English Lawyer, RAF Air Vice Marshal
  • Sir Henry Wilmot (1831-1901), English Army Captain, 5th Baronet Wilmot, recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Sir John Eardley- Wilmot (1810-1892), 2nd Baronet, Member of Parliament for South Warwickshire (1874 to 1885)
  • Sir John Eardley- Wilmot (1783-1847), 1st Baronet, sixth Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania
  • Mr. S. Wilmot, British sheriff, who held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1850 to 1851
  • Mr. Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot M.B.E. (b. 1954), born in Lambeth, London, British Actor, Singer and Comedian, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Drama and to charity 12
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. John C Wilmot, British Leading Cook, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 13
HMS Royal Oak
  • David George Wilmot (d. 1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 14
St. Francis Dam
  • Mrs. Clara E. Wilmot, (nee Adams), American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  • Mr. Raymond Ross Wilmot, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  • Miss Velma Fay Wilmot, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928


The Wilmot 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: Quod vult valde valt
Motto Translation: What he wishes, he fervently wishes.


  1. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  6. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
  7. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  12. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
  13. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  14. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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