Usher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Usher

What does the name Usher mean?

The name Usher arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a door keeper to a king. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old French word l'ussier, meaning the door keeper. This job held considerable status, as it entailed knowing the rank and status of all those who would enter the King's chambers. 1

Early Origins of the Usher family

The surname Usher was first found in Durham where it is said they were descended from Richard de Neuville, the Admiral of Duke William's fleet, who was granted lands originally in Westmorland. His third son was entrusted with the defense of Bridgnorth in 1102.

"James Ussher, the celebrated Archbishop of Armagh, was a son of A. Ussher, one of the six clerks in Chancery, descended from a branch of the Norman family of De Neville, which assumed the name of Le Uschere or Le Huissier, from the office of Ostiarius granted to them by King John. Of this family was the gallant Admiral Sir Thomas Ussher." 2

In Essex, the first record of the family was found at Colchester where Richard Ussier was registered. William le Usser or Lussier was found in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243 and later, Geoffrey le Uscher was listed in Cambridgeshire in 1300. In Bedfordshire, Richard Lusscher was registered in the Subsidy Rolls of 1319 and in Cumberland, the Subsidy Rolls of 1332 included Adam Husser. 3

Early History of the Usher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Usher research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1550, 1581, 1582, 1613, 1625, 1629 and 1656 are included under the topic Early Usher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Usher Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Usher, Ussher and others.

Early Notables of the Usher family

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

Usher Ranking

In the United States, the name Usher is the 4,563^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Usher family to Ireland

Some of the Usher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Usher migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Usher or a variant listed above:

Usher Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamine Usher, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5
Ben Usher, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Robert Usher, who landed in Massachusetts in 1637 5
Hezekiah Usher, who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1639 5
Thomas Usher, who landed in Virginia in 1653 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Usher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Usher, who arrived in South Carolina in 1722-1723 5
Arthur Usher, who arrived in America in 1736-1737 5
Margaret Usher, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5
John Usher, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
Joseph Usher, who arrived in Mississippi in 1799 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Usher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Luke Usher, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 5
Bloomfield Usher, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Richard W Usher, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 5
James Usher, who landed in New York in 1829 5
Samuel Usher, who arrived in New York in 1839 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Usher migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Usher Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Allen Usher, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Usher Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Usher, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in 1823 6
John Usher, who was a soldier of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1825 6
John F Usher, who landed in Canada in 1834

Usher migration to Australia +

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

Usher Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Usher, (b. 1792), aged 26, Irish house maid who was convicted in County Offaly (Kings County), Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Job Usher, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 8
Eliza Usher, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 8
George Usher, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 9
Hannah Elizabeth Usher, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Usher 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:

Usher Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Benjamin Usher, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 10
Thomas Usher, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 11
Sarah Usher, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 11
Miss Sarah Usher, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 10
Mr. Thomas Usher, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 10

Usher 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. 12

Usher Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Usher, (Vsher), (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634
Mr. John Usher, (Vsher), (b. 1608), aged 26, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634

Contemporary Notables of the name Usher (post 1700) +

John Palmer Usher (1816-1889), American administrator, 7th United States Secretary of the Interior (1863-1865)
Guy Usher (1875-1944), American actor
Thomas J Usher (b. 1942), American Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United States Steel Corporation
Gary Usher (1938-1990), American surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer
Jonathan Usher (1770-1839), American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Haddam, 1823 13
John Palmer Usher (1816-1889), American politician, Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1850-51; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana, 1856; Indiana State Attorney General, 1861-62; U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1863-65 13
James H. Usher, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Tolland, 1902 13
James Usher, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hudson County, 1894-95 13
G. R. Usher, American politician, U.S. Consul in Asuncion, 1874 13
Charles E. Usher, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Tolland; Elected 1906 13
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Usher family +

HMS Cornwall

John George William Usher (d. 1942), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 14

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Usher, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 15

HMS Repulse

Mr. Frederick William Usher, British Musician, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 16

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRLIE/FAIRLEE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairlie.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ORLEANA 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Orleana.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html