Origin of the Name Hammond
The ancient history of the name
Hammond was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives.
Over the centuries Surnames developed a wide number of variants. Different spellings of the same name can be traced back to an original root. Additionally when a bearer of a name emigrated it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books at their new location. Surnames were also often altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another.
Variants of the name Hammond
include Haimes, Hammon, Hamondson, Hammons, Hammonds, Hamnett, Hamonet, Hamman, Hammand, Hammett, Hammatt and Hammitt. This name is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading from England to Ireland , Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in these countries. Examples of such are a Adelina Hamund of County Huntingdonshire and a William Hammund of County Lincolnshire who were recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England , in the year 1273. A Hamund Brande was recorded as being the Sheriff of London in the year 1203.
Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by creating, maintaining and updating these reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.
In Ireland the name is found in small numbers in Ulster Province having been introduced there from England during the seventeenth century.
The Hammond coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Hammond descendants.