Jeremiah History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Jeremiah

What does the name Jeremiah mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Jeremiah comes from the baptismal name German. The surname Jeremiah referred to the son of German which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Jeremiah family

The surname Jeremiah was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the original Latin form of the name Germanus was first listed. 1

As a forename Jerman filius Willelmi was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1248. John Jarman was listed in Norfolk in 1227. Phillippus Germani was found in the Feet of Fines for Dorset in 1236. Johannes Jeremie was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1196. 2

Early History of the Jeremiah family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeremiah research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1539, 1573, 1579, 1591, 1604, 1605, 1611, 1614, 1624, 1628, 1629, 1636, 1645, 1659, 1666, 1667, 1668, 1684, 1692, 1708, 1712 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Jeremiah History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeremiah Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Jeremiah were recorded, including Jarman, Jarmain, Jermayne, Jermain, Jermyn, Jermin and many more.

Early Notables of the Jeremiah family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Ambrose Jermyn; his son, Sir Robert Jermyn DL (1539-1614) was an English politician, High Sheriff of Suffolk for 1579; Sir Thomas Jermyn (1573-1645) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Andover (1604-1611), and Bury St Edmunds (1614-1629); and Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, KG (1605-1684), an English politician and courtier. He was second son of Sir Thomas Jermyn, knt., by Mary Barber. In 1624 Jermyn was gentleman in attendance on the embassy to Paris, and in 1628 he represented Liverpool in parliament. On 2 July 1628 he was appointed...
Another 235 words (17 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jeremiah Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeremiah Ranking

In the United States, the name Jeremiah is the 15,169^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Jeremiah family to Ireland

Some of the Jeremiah 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.

Jeremiah migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Jeremiah family emigrate to North America:

Jeremiah Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Jeremiah, who landed in Iowa in 1875 4
Benjamin Jeremiah, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 4

Jeremiah Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henry Jeremiah, who arrived in Mississippi in 1903 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Jeremiah (post 1700) +

Thomas Jeremiah, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1844 5
Reese Jeremiah, American Republican politician, Chair of Northumberland County Republican Party, 1927 5
George A. Jeremiah, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 6th District, 1858-59 5
John Jeremiah Bigsby (1792-1881), English geologist and physician, British secretary and medical officer of the Canadian boundary commission, eponym of the Bigsby Medal 6
John Jeremiah Jacob (1829-1893), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Hampshire County, 1869; Governor of West Virginia, 1871-77 7
John Jeremiah Jacob (1829-1893), American politician, 4th Governor of West Virginia (1871-1877)
John Jeremiah Jacob (1778-1852), American businessman, financier, real estate developer and philanthropist from Kentucky
Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell (1821-1891), American politician, lawyer and general in the Confederate States Army, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia (1857-1861)
James Jeremiah Wadsworth (1905-1984), American diplomat, Ambassador to the UN
Walter Jeremiah Maddock (1880-1951), American politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota

The Jeremiah 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: nec ab oriente nec ab occidente
Motto Translation: Neither from the east nor from the west.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) John Jacob. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html