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Hamer Family History

Hamer Surname Meaning

English (Lancashire): habitational name from a place in Rochdale Lancashire named Hamer from Old English hamor ‘cliff’. English (of Norman origin): variant of Amer 3 with prosthetic H-.

Dutch: from hamer ‘hammer’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of hammers or a user of a hammer for example a blacksmith.

Jewish (Ashkenazic) and German: variant of Hammer.

Slovenian and Croatian: nickname or metonymic occupational name from German Hammer or from the colloquial loanword hamer ‘hammer’.

Compare Dutch name above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Hamer family from?

You can see how Hamer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hamer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hamer families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 3,064 Hamer families living in Lancashire. This was about 57% of all the recorded Hamer's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Hamer families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hamer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Hamer ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Hamer. 9% of Hamer men worked as a Farmer and 64% of Hamer women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hamer were Builders Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Hamer | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Farmer
    9%
  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Retired
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Cotton Weaver
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Hamer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 117,000 census records available for the last name Hamer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hamer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hamer

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Hamer. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Hamer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Hamer. For the veterans among your Hamer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hamer military records

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