Seymour History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Seymour

What does the name Seymour mean?

The name Seymour was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Seymour family lived in Monmouthshire. Their name, however, is a reference to St. Maur, near Avranches, Normandy. 1

"The baronial family of St. Maur, founded by the warrior of Hastings, became extinct in the chief male line at the decease in 1499 of Richard, 6th Lord St. Maur, whose only daughter and heiress, Alice, wedded William, 6th Lord Zouche of Haryngworth. The Seymours, Dukes of Somerset, whose historic greatness needs little of ancestral aid to augment its glory, claim to be a scion of the baronial house, and their pretensions may be sustained by the valuable authority of Camden." 2

Early Origins of the Seymour family

The surname Seymour was first found in Monmouthshire. However, records differ on who was the progenitor of the family. One reference claims that Wido de St. Maur came to England in 1066 but was deceased before 1086 and would have therefore not appeared in the Domesday Book. His son William Fits-Wido held a barony in Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucester and ten manors in Somerset. 3

"A Gilbertine priory, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was founded [in Poulton, Gloucestershire] about 1347, by Sir Thomas de Sancto Mauro, or Seymor." 4

Another reference claims they were descended from Roger Sancto Maure who lived during the reign of Henry I and was Lord of Seymour Castle. 5

Early History of the Seymour family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seymour research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1299, 1458, 1474, 1509, 1528, 1536, 1537, 1547, 1549, 1563, 1593, 1599, 1613, 1632, 1646, 1648, 1663, 1674, 1708 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Seymour History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seymour Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Seymour are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Seymour include St. Maur, Seymour, Seymer, Seymar, Seamor, Seamour, Seemour and many more.

Early Notables of the Seymour family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Jane Seymour (1509?-1537), was "third queen of Henry VIII, was eldest of the eight children of Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall, Savernake, Wiltshire, by Margaret, daughter of Sir John Wentworth of Nettl...
Sir John Seymour, of Wiltshire, KB (c.1474-1536), was English gentry, courtier to King Henry VIII, father of the king's wife Jane Seymour; Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of Engla...

Seymour World Ranking

In the United States, the name Seymour is the 1,152^nd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Seymour is ranked the 429^th most popular surname with an estimated 109 people with that name. 7 And in Australia, the name Seymour is the 618^th popular surname with an estimated 6,322 people with that name. 8 New Zealand ranks Seymour as 664^th with 1,063 people. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Seymour as 656^th with 9,987 people. 10

Migration of the Seymour family to Ireland

Some of the Seymour family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seymour migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Seymour, or a variant listed above:

Seymour Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Seymour, who arrived in Virginia in 1607
Richard Seymour, who arrived in Hartford, Connecticut in 1639 11
William Seymour who settled in Virginia in 1653

Seymour Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Seymour, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 11
Nathaniel Seymour, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 11
William Seymour, who settled in Maryland in 1725
Edward Seymour, who arrived in Georgia in 1735 11
Hendk Seymour, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seymour Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Seymour, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 11
Lewis Seymour, who arrived in New York in 1836 11
Thomas Seymour, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 11
George Seymour, who landed in Mississippi in 1840 11
James Seymour, who settled in Philadelphia in 1844
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seymour migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seymour Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Margaret Seymour, aged 3 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle on 9th August 1847 12
Mrs. Margaret Seymour, aged 29 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Corea" departing 2nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but she died on board 13
Miss. Maria Seymour who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Eagle" departing 12th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 25th June 1847 but she died on board 13
Mr. George Seymour, (b. 1872), aged 27, American miner returning from Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 23rd December 1899 en route to Canada 14

Seymour migration to Australia +

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

Seymour Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Seymour, (b. 1793), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. Richard Seymour, English convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 16
George Seymour, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
Mr. Joseph Seymour who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
Mr. Henry Seymour, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seymour 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:

Seymour Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Seymour, aged 28, a millwright, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
James Seymour, aged 48, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Frances Mary Seymour, aged 48, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Henry Seymour, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842
Henry Seymour, aged 48, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seymour migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 20

Seymour Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

George Seymour, who settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Seymour (post 1700) +

Ruth Seymour (1935-2023), née Epstein, an American broadcasting executive known for her innovative work with public radio
Richard Vershaun Seymour (b. 1979), American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022
Robin Henry Seymour (1926-2020), American radio personality and disc jockey who worked at CKLW and WKMH; he started in radio as a child actor on the Lone Ranger Show
Whitney North "Mike" Seymour Jr. (1923-2019), American politician and attorney, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1970-1973)
Paul Christopher Seymour (b. 1950), former professional American football player
David Lowrey Seymour (1803-1867), American lawyer and politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
James Bentley "Cy" Seymour (1872-1919), American center fielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball
Charles Seymour (1885-1963), American academic, President of Yale University from 1937 to 1951
Edward James Seymour (1796-1866), English physician and medical writer, the third son of William Seymour of 65 Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, London
Edward Adolphus Seymour (1804-1885), twelfth Duke of Somerset, English peer
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Seymour family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. William John Henry Seymour, British Band Corporal, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 21

HMS Royal Oak

Andrew M. Seymour, British Lieutenant with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 22
Albert E. Seymour, British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 22

Mount Mulligan Mine

Sydney Seymour, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

The Seymour 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: Foy pour devoir
Motto Translation: Faith for duty.

Sources +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"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)
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. 54)
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. 95)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
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