Pomeroy or De La Pommeraie is a surname documented from the 11th century. Currently spelled as Pomeroy and the many variations which have occurred over time and geopolitical location. These variations include Pomroy, Pomery, Pumroy, Pummery, Pummeroy, de Pomerai, de Pomeroy, and Pommery.

Etymology

Despite the clearly found words of ''pomme'' and ''roy'' in the name, meaning "apple" in French and "king" in Old French (French ''roi''), the surname given to ''Radulphus'' is not linked with the Old French word ''roy'', but is the common place-name ''Pommeraye'', that means "orchard of apple-trees", Modern French word ', from ''pommier'' "apple-tree" and old suffix ''-aye'', now ''-aie'', meaning "a collection of trees". Originally the suffix ''-aye'' was masculine : ''-ey'', ''-ay'' and sometimes ''-oy''. The secondary phonetic shift ''-ey'' > ''-oy'' is normally typical of Picard and the Eastern dialects of

Langue d'oïl Langue is a municipality in the Valle Department, Honduras. The town is located near the border of El Salvador and is a regional Hammock making center. Most of the town is made up of sharecroppers and day laborers. There are usually Mormon mis ...

, but can sometimes be observed in Normandy.

Origins of the family

There are several La Pommeraye in Normandy, but the sources mention generally two possible birth places of the family, both in Lower Normandy. One in the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

on the commune of Saint-Sauveur-la-Pommeraye, now in the

Manche Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.Granville. The other possible location is La Pommeraye, commune of the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

''département'' between

Thury-Harcourt Thury-Harcourt () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Thury-Harcourt-le-Hom. The town is south of Caen, in the Orne valley. It is p ...

and

Pont-d'Ouilly Pont-d'Ouilly () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Pont-d'Ouilly is home to the famous Haras d'Ouilly, a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding business currently owned by the Aga Khan IV ...

(35 km south from

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,château Ganne at La Pommeraye is believed to be the original seat of the family and the de la Pomeroi founded the Val Abbey at

Saint-Omer, Calvados Saint-Omer () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes of the Calvados department of Fr ...

History

Following the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

, ''Radulph s' de la Pomeray is found in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

(1086) holding numerous properties as

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

Tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as op ...

; 98 in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, 2 in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and 1 in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. His holdings included a castle at Berry Pomeroy, of which the family retained possession until the second year of the reign of King Edward VI, Henry VIII's son, and the

Prayer Book Rebellion The Prayer Book Rebellion or Western Rising was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon in 1549. In that year, the ''Book of Common Prayer'', presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced. The change was widely unpopular, ...

in 1549 when the castle was sold to

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry V ...

List of people with this surname

Allan Pomeroy Merritt "Allan" Pomeroy – (1907-July 7, 1966) was the forty-third mayor of Seattle, Washington serving from June 1, 1952 to June 4, 1956. Early life Pomeroy was born in Astoria, Oregon, and later moved with his parents to the state of Washingt ...

(1907-1966), mayor of Seattle from 1952 to 1956 *

Arthur Pomeroy, 1st Viscount Harberton Arthur Pomeroy, 1st Viscount Harberton (16 January 1723 – 9/11 April 1798) was an Anglo-Irish politician. He was born in Cork, the eldest son of the Rev John Pomeroy, Archdeacon of Cork, and his wife Elizabeth Donnellan of Cloghan, County Ro ...

(1723-1798), Irish politician *

Ben Pomeroy Ben Pomeroy (born 10 January 1984) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan in the Elite One Championship. Telegraph poles for arms, he has played for Cambridge Park RLFC in the Penrith d ...

(born 1984), Australian rugby player * Charles Pomeroy (1825–1891), US congressman from Iowa *

Dave Pomeroy Dave Pomeroy (born April 26, 1956) is an American musician, known as a Nashville vocalist, songwriter, and producer (Earwave Productions), but is best known as a bassist. He has played electric and acoustic bass for many world renowned artists, ...

(born 1956), Nashville vocalist, songwriter, producer, and bassist *

Duane Pomeroy Duane Pomeroy (born 1952) is a Kansas politician and teacher who has served on the Topeka city council continuously since January 1993, was deputy mayor of Topeka, Kansas under Butch Felker, and then became acting mayor from November 2003 to ear ...

(born 1952), American politician from Kansas *

Earl Pomeroy Earl Ralph Pomeroy III (born September 2, 1952) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. He currently serves as Senior Counsel for ...

(born 1952), American politician from North Dakota * Earl S. Pomeroy (1915-2005), American Historian *

Elsie Lower Pomeroy Elsie Lower Pomeroy (1882-1971) was an artist most closely associated with the American Scene Painting movement and specifically California Regionalism or California Scene Painting. She was also one of a small group of botanical illustrators wh ...

(1882–1971), American botanical illustrator and painter *

F. W. Pomeroy Frederick William Pomeroy (9 October 1856 – 26 May 1924) was a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works. He became a leading sculptor in the New Sculpture movement, a group distinguished by a stylistic turn towards Natu ...

(Frederick William Pomeroy, 1856–1924), British sculptor * Florence Wallace Pomeroy, Viscountess Harberton (1843-1911), British dress reformer *

Henry Pomeroy, 2nd Viscount Harberton Henry Pomeroy, 2nd Viscount Harberton (8 December 1749 – 29 November 1829) was an Anglo-Irish politician. He was the son of Arthur Pomeroy, 1st Viscount Harberton, and his wife Mary Colley, daughter of Henry Colley of Carbury Castle, and La ...

(1749-1829), Irish politician *

Herb Pomeroy Irving Herbert Pomeroy III (April 15, 1930 – August 11, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, teacher, and the founder of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. Early life Pomeroy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He began playing ...

(1930–2007), American musician *

Jesse Pomeroy Jesse Harding Pomeroy (; November 29, 1859 – September 29, 1932) was a convicted American murderer and the youngest person in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be convicted of murder in the first degree. He was found guilty by ...

(1859–1932), American killer * Jim Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people: **

Jim Pomeroy (motorcyclist) Jim Pomeroy (November 16, 1952 – August 6, 2006) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1973 and in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1976, before returning to c ...

(1952–2006), professional motocross racer ** Jim Pomeroy (politician) (born 1936), member of the North Dakota Senate ** Jim Pomeroy (artist) (1945–1992), American artist * John Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people **

John Pomeroy John Foster Pomeroy (born March 26, 1951) is an American animator who has worked for several major studios, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sullivan Bluth Studios. He has also worked as producer, and screenwriter on several animated ...

, American animator **

John Norton Pomeroy John Norton Pomeroy (April 12, 1828 – February 15, 1885) was an American lawyer, writer, and law professor. “Perhaps the most important text book writer of the last third of the nineteenth century,” Pomeroy is one of the foremost cont ...

, American lawyer ** John Pomeroy (British Army officer) ** John Pomeroy (died 1416), MP for Totnes * Julia Pomeroy, American actress and author *

Ken Pomeroy Ken Pomeroy is the creator of the college basketball website and statistical archive KenPom. His website includes his College Basketball Ratings, statistics for every NCAA men's Division I basketball team, with archives dating back to the 2002 s ...

, creator of college basketball website and statistical archive *

Laurence Pomeroy Laurence Henry Pomeroy (1883–1941) was an English automotive engineer trained as a locomotive engineer and particularly interested in the introduction of light alloys into automotive applications. Early life Laurence Pomeroy was born in Lond ...

(1883–1941), British automotive engineer * Lawrence R. Pomeroy (1925–2020), American zoologist, ecologist, and oceanography * Leslie Wing Pomeroy, American actress * Louise Pomeroy (c. 1853–1893), American Shakespearean actress *

Marcus M. Pomeroy Marcus Mills "Brick" Pomeroy (also known as Mark M. Pomeroy; December 25, 1833 – May 30, 1896) was an American journalist that became notorious for his anti-Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln sentiment during the American Civil War. Early life Pomeroy w ...

, American newspaperman * Martin H. Pomeroy, interim Chief of Police of the Los Angeles Police Department * Ralph Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people * Robert Watson Pomeroy (1902–1989), New York politician *

Samuel C. Pomeroy Samuel Clarke Pomeroy (January 3, 1816 – August 27, 1891) was a United States senator from Kansas in the mid-19th century. He served in the United States Senate during the American Civil War. Pomeroy also served in the Massachusetts House of ...

(1816–1891), American politician from Kansas and railroad businessman *

Sarah B. Pomeroy Sarah B. Pomeroy is an American Professor of Classics. Early life and education Sarah Pomeroy was born in New York City in 1938. She attended the Birch Wathen School, taking Latin and ancient history among other subjects. She graduated high sch ...

(1938–), American classicist *

Seth Pomeroy Seth Pomeroy (May 20, 1706 – February 19, 1777) was an American gunsmith and soldier from Northampton, Massachusetts. His military service included the French and Indian War and the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. He fought ...

(1706–1777), American gunsmith and soldier *

Theodore Medad Pomeroy Theodore Medad Pomeroy (December 31, 1824 – March 23, 1905) was an American businessman and politician from New York who served as the 26th speaker of the United States House of Representatives for one day, from March 3, 1869, to March 4, 1869 ...

(1824–1905), US congressman from New York *

Wardell Pomeroy Wardell Baxter Pomeroy (December 6, 1913 – September 6, 2001) was an American sexologist. He was a frequent co-author with Alfred C. Kinsey. Biography Pomeroy was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the son of Percy W. and Mary A. Pomeroy. He grad ...

(1913–2001), American sexologist * Wesley Pomeroy (1920–1998), American lawyer and public servant *

William J. Pomeroy William J. Pomeroy (November 25, 1916 – January 12, 2009) was an American communist, poet, author, and ghostwriter, who served the American army in the Pacific during World War II. He had a connection with the Philippine guerillas during the war ...

(1916–2009), American communist

References

*The Domesday Survey *A.A. Pomeroy : Romance and History of Eltweed Pomeroy's Ancestors in Normandy and England 1909

External links

Pomeroy connections
on Google
Thomas Pomeroy
on

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

{{surnames Surnames of Norman origin French-language surnames