Scotchmer Family History

Apparently from an unidentified locality in Suffolk named either from a marsh (Old English mōr), a pool (Old English mere), or a boundary (Old English (ge)mǣre), associated with a man named Scot, either with the Old and Middle English given name Scot(t), the ethnic name Scott ‘Scot’, or the surname Scott.

However, if the surnames of John Schotymere (1447), John Shotymer (1492), and Thomas Schotmer (1668) belong here, it is possible that spellings like Skottismore and Scotchmore represent altered forms by folk etymology of another unidentified place-name *Shotemere with a different first element, such as the Old English personal name Scēot or Old English sc(e)ota ‘trout’, hence ‘Scēot's pool’ or ‘trout pool’.

Alternatively, Keith Briggs suggests that Shotymere might be a compound of Old English Scēot, Old English *scēot ‘steep slope’, or Old English sc(e)ot ‘shooting; a projecting piece of land (?)’ + Old English (ge)mǣre ‘boundary’.

The first elements probably occur in Shotford Heath, Shotley, and Shottisham in Suffolk.