Show ContentsDelamare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Delamare

What does the name Delamare mean?

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Delamare family, who lived in Gloucestershire. Their name, however, is of Norman derivation, and refers to the proximity of their former place of residence to the sea. Delamare is a latter variation of the earlier local surname de la Mare, which literally translates as of the sea, or from the sea. Another source claims the name originated from the "ancient Forest of Delamere, foresta de la Mare," and literally meant "forest of the lake." 1

Early Origins of the Delamare family

The surname Delamare was first found in Gloucestershire where Guillaume (William) de La Mare was a tenant in Chief of lands in both this county and in Herefordshire. He also held lands in 1086 A.D. in Wiltshire and Hertfordshire as a sub tenant under the name William de La Mare. 2 He held many lordships. He came from Lamare at St. Opportune in the arrondisement of Pont Audemer in Normandy where his castle was built on piles on the border of the lake. 3

He was sometimes called William FitzNorman and was the scion of that family name. Marsh Baldon in Oxfordshire was an ancient family seat. "This parish, originally called Meres or Mars and ultimately Marsh Baldon, derives its distinguishing name from one De la Mare, a descendant of whom was patron of the living in 1381. " 4

William de La Mare (fl. 1272-1279) was an English Franciscan theologian who is known to have preached in Lincoln.

Sir John Delamare (c. 1320-1383), was an English knight at the court of King Edward III. He was granted permission to turn his manor house at Nunney into Nunney Castle in 1373. He served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1374 and later High Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1377. His niece Eleanor Delamere, who inherited his estates died in 1413 and those estates were passed on to William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester. 5

Sir Peter De la Mere (fl. 1370), was "Speaker of the House of Commons, was Mesne Lord of the Manor of Yatton in Herefordshire, and was Seneschal of the Earl of March, who held the manor in capite. He was elected knight of the shire for his county in the parliament which met in April 1376, and which, from the popularity acquired by its attempts to reform abuses, went by the name of the Good parliament, and was chosen Speaker of the Commons." 5

As one would imagine, early rolls show a wide variety of spellings: Coleman de Lamora in Northumberland 1135-1185; Robert de la Mare, at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1190; William de la Mere in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1260; Henry Dalamare, a Freeman of York in 1385; Thomas Dallamour another Freeman of York in 1732; and John Dallamore, a Freeman of York in 1733. 6

Early History of the Delamare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delamare research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1285, 1294, 1320, 1372, 1373, 1376, 1383, 1387, 1408, 1685 and 1857 are included under the topic Early Delamare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delamare Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Delamere, Delamare, DeleMere, DelaMare, Delemare, Delamare, Delamere, Delemare, DeLaMar, DeLaMarre, DeLaMaior, FitzNorman, Fitznorman, Delamore, Dalamaire, Delamar, Delamare, Delmore, Lamere, MacHerbert and many more.

Early Notables of the Delamare family

More information is included under the topic Early Delamare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delamare Ranking

In France, the name Delamare is the 816th most popular surname with an estimated 6,213 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Delamare family to Ireland

Some of the Delamare 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.


Delamare migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Delamare or a variant listed above:

Delamare Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Noel Delamare and his wife and daughter settled in Virginia in 1700
  • Noe DeLaMare, who landed in Virginia in 1700 8
Delamare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G. Delamare, who settled in New Orleans La in 1822

Delamare migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Delamare Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Catherine Delamare was married in 1672 in Quebec
  • Jacques Delamare, who arrived in Acadia in 1685

Delamare migration to Australia +

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

Delamare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Richard Delamare, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Navarino" 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Delamare (post 1700) +

  • David Delamare, English-born, American artist
  • Walter de la Mare OM CH (1873-1956), English poet, best remembered for his works for children and "The Listeners"; his post-war Collected Stories for Children won the 1947 Carnegie Medal
  • Rosine Delamare (1911-2013), French Academy Award nominated costume designer
  • Philip DeLaMare (1823-1915), Jersey-born, immigrant to America settling Tooele, Utah where he converted to Mormonism and attempted to introduce the sugar beet industry to Utah in the late-19th century
  • Manuel De La Mare (b. 1979), Italian music producer and recording artist
  • Lise Delamare (1913-2006), French stage and film actress, active from the 1930s through 1998
  • Frederick Archibald de la Mare (1877-1960), New Zealand lawyer and educationalist, awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935
  • Veronique Delphine Delamare (1822-1848), née Couturier, a French housewife whose life became the inspiration for Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary
  • Sir Arthur de la Mare KCMG KCVO (1914-1994), British diplomat, High Commissioner of Singapore
  • Achille Joseph Delamare (1790-1873), French military officer and politician, member of the French Senate from 1852 to 1870, president of the Jockey-Club de Paris from 1849 to 1853


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. 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)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  8. 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)
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Navarino.htm


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