Contents [hide]

Chalmers History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Chalmers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Chalmers

What does the name Chalmers mean?

During that dark period of history known as the Middle Ages, the name of Chalmers was first used in France. Many names with Old French origins arrived in Scotland and England in the 11th century with the Norman Conquest. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Chalmers family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Chalmers was an occupational name for a servant in the bedroom of a nobleman. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word "chambre" which means room, and refers to someone of the title chamberlain, which later came to signify a more administrative office in noble households.

Early Origins of the Chalmers family

The surname Chalmers was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales, created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they held lands at Llewenne, granted to John de Chambre from the Earl of Lincoln, who was Constable of Chester. John was a "nobelle Normanne who entred Englaunde in ye traine of King Williaume."

One of the earliest records of the family was on the infamous side. John a Chamber or Chamberlayne (d. 1489), was an English rebel, "a knight of great influence in the north, excited the people to join the rebellion headed by Sir John Egremond in Northumberland and Durham against the heavy subsidy of 1489. Henry, Earl of Northumberland, who had orders to enforce the tax, endeavoured to persuade him to cease his agitation. Chamber would not hear him, and on 20 April the earl was slain by the rebels at Cock Lodge, near Thirsk. Then Thomas, Earl of Surrey, was sent to put down the insurrection. He took Chamber and utterly routed the rebels. Chamber was executed at York. " 1

Early History of the Chalmers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chalmers research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1465, 1472, 1491, 1530, 1546, 1592, 1604, 1609, 1645, 1664, 1691, 1694, 1696, 1702, 1703, 1726, 1775, 1796 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Chalmers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chalmers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Chambers, Chalmers, Chamer, Chalmairs, Challmers and others.

Early Notables of the Chalmers family

Notable among the family at this time was

Alexander Chalmers (1645-1703) was a Scottish resident of the Polish city of Warsaw, he served as a judge in the city and was four times Mayor in 1691, 1694, 1696 and 1702; and James Chalmers, was 1st...

Chalmers World Ranking

In the United States, the name Chalmers is the 3,784^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Chalmers is ranked the 661^st most popular surname with an estimated 5,921 people with that name. 3 And in New Zealand, the name Chalmers is the 593^rd popular surname with an estimated 1,211 people with that name. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Chalmers as 825^th with 8,216 people. 5

Migration of the Chalmers family to Ireland

Some of the Chalmers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 214 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chalmers migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chalmers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Marion Chalmers, who arrived in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 6

Chalmers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Chalmers, who settled in New Jersey in 1713
Patrick Chalmers, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 6
John Chalmers, who arrived in New York in 1785 6

Chalmers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Chalmers, who arrived in New York in 1801 6
Mathew Chalmers, who landed in New York in 1803 6
James Chalmers, who landed in New York in 1810 6
Stewart Chalmers, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Mr. Horatio J. Chalmers, (b. 1811), aged 38, English planter traveling aboard the ship "Thomas Wattson" arriving in Philadelphia in 1849 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chalmers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chalmers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lt. Col. James Chalmers U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 8

Chalmers Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Isabella Chalmers, aged 60, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Christian Chalmers, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Nancy Chalmers, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834

Chalmers migration to Australia +

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

Chalmers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Chalmers, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Miss Mary Chalmers, (Rennie, Mary Ann), Scottish Convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atwick" on 28 September 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. William Chalmers, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Christina Chalmers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke of Bedford" in 1848 12
James Chalmers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cromwell" in 1849 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Chalmers 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:

Chalmers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Chalmers, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Isabella Chalmers, aged 29, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Alexander Chalmers, aged 9, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Janet Chalmers, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Elizabeth Chalmers, aged 1, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Chalmers (post 1700) +

William Wallace Chalmers (1861-1944), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Ohio 9th District, 1921-23, 1925-31; Defeated, 1922 14
William Chalmers, American Republican politician, Chair of Warren County Republican Party, 1925-27 14
Thomas Chalmers, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 17th District, 1913-14 14
Rod Chalmers, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1940 14
Robert Chalmers, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 15th District, 1871-73 14
Joseph Williams Chalmers (1807-1853), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Senator from Mississippi, 1845-47 14
John Gordon Chalmers (1803-1847), American politician, Member of Virginia State Legislature; Texas Republic Secretary of the Treasury, 1841 14
James Ronald Chalmers (1831-1898), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1852; Delegate to Mississippi Secession Convention, 1861 14
Hugh Chalmers (1876-1928), American politician, Member of Arkansas State House of Representatives, 1921-24; Member of Arkansas State Senate 32nd District, 1927-28 14
Doug Chalmers, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 2008 14
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Chalmers family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. David Chalmers, British Lead Writer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 15

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Blanche Chalmers, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 16

The Chalmers 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: Spero
Motto Translation: I hope.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Barbados archives retrieved 2nd November 2021 from https://attheBarbadosarchives.wordpress.com/2003/07/18/Barbados-heritage-passenger-lists-and-Barbados-departures/
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atwick
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DUKE OF BEDFORD 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848DukeofBedford.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CROMWELL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cromwell.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/