Somerville is a Scottish surname of Norman origin.

Derivation

Also for years the origin of the name was quoted from the book of surnames of Scotland, a copy did exist in the library of the University of Abertay in Dundee, stating the name originating 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,Sémerville (''Semervilla'' 1209), near

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

, that is 141 miles from Caen. However, there are other possibilities, first of all a disappeared place name of

Cotentin 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 ...

''Sumelleville'' (''Summerleevilla'' ab 1210) closer to Caen. Other hypothesis like Sommervieu (''Sommerveium'' 1241), 18,5 miles from Caen, were proposed.

History

In 1066 the Lord of Somerville, Sir Gaultier / Walter de Somerville joined William the conqueror on his invasion of England, for his support Sir Gaultier de Somerville was given land in the North of England. By the twelfth century, the Somervilles were granted land and title of lord in Scotland and were at one time among the noble families of Scotland. Alternatively, Somerville can also be a Scottish

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

surname. The Irish House of Somerville began when William Somerville came to Ireland in 1690. William was an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

minister forced to flee from his manse when it was attacked by

Covenanters Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

. William brought his sons William and Thomas with him to Ireland. While the younger William returned to Scotland, his brother Thomas stayed in Ireland. Thomas would be educated at Trinity College in Dublin eventually earning a BA in 1711. He entered the church of his father and was ordained a minister at Cloyne Cathedral in 1715. It was in 1732 that Thomas was made the rector of Myross and

Castlehaven Castlehaven () is a civil parish in County Cork, Ireland. It is located approximately 75 km south west of Cork City on the coast. The civil parish includes the town of Castletownshend and also contains the hamlets of Rineen and Tragumna. T ...

. It was his son Thomas who by becoming a very successful merchant with Newfoundland and the West Indies was able to build up the Irish house of Somerville to the ranks of landed gentry a class out of which the Somerville clan had dropped for five generations.Somerville and Ross, The world of the Irish RM by Gifford Lewis Penguin Books LTD. London, 1985.

People

The following people have the surname Somerville (or the variant Somervile): *

Amanda Somerville Amanda Somerville (born March 7, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who resides in Wolfsburg, Germany. She is known primarily for her work with many European symphonic metal bands. Biography Personal life Somerville was ...

(b. 1979), American pop, metal singer * Annis Somerville, New Zealand judge *

Alexander Somerville Alexander Somerville (15 March 1811 – 17 June 1885) was a British Radical journalist and soldier.Joseph Hamburger,Somerville, Alexander (1811–1885), ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online ed ...

(1811–1885), Scottish journalist and soldier * Alexander Neill Somerville, Scottish minister and evangelist *

Annesley Somerville Annesley Ashworth Somerville (16 November 1858 – 15 May 1942) was a schoolteacher turned politician. He taught for forty years before turning to politics, then for twenty years served as a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. ...

(1858–1942), British politician *

Bonnie Somerville Bonnie Somerville (born February 24, 1974) is an American actress and singer. She has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably as Mona in ''Friends'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''Grosse Pointe'', '' The O.C.'', ''Cashmere Mafia ...

(b. 1974), American actress * Carla Somerville (b. 1973), Canadian field hockey player *

Daniel Somerville Daniel Gerald Somerville (26 October 1879 – 1 July 1938) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected at the 1922 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Barrow-in-Furness. He was re-elected in 1923, but ...

(1879–1938), British politician * Dave Somerville (1933–2015), Canadian singer * Ed Somerville (1853–1877), American baseball player *

Edith Anna Somerville Edith Anna Œnone Somerville (2 May 1858 – 8 October 1949) was an Irish novelist who habitually signed herself as "E. Œ. Somerville". She wrote in collaboration with her cousin "Martin Ross" ( Violet Martin) under the pseudonym "Somerville ...

(1858–1949), Irish novelist *

Geraldine Somerville Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville (born 19 May 1967) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles in the film ''Gosford Park'' (2001) and the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2011). Her other roles have included ''My Week with Marily ...

(b. 1967), Irish-born British actress * Greg Somerville, NZ rugby player *

Henry Boyle Townshend Somerville Vice admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Henry Boyle Townshend Somerville (7 September 1863 – 24 March 1936) was an Irish naval officer and author who served in the Royal Navy. He was also an author author who wrote on maritime topics as well a ...

(1863–1936), brother of Edith, sailor, antiquarian, anthropologist, killed by the IRA *

James Somerville (Bruce County politician) James Somerville (January 31, 1826 – September 19, 1898) was an Ontario businessman, notary public and political figure. He represented Bruce West in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1882 to 1887. He was born in ...

(1826–1898), Canadian businessperson, notary and Member of Parliament (Bruce West electoral district) *

James Somerville (Wentworth County, Ontario politician) James Somerville (June 7, 1834 – May 24, 1916) was an Ontario journalist, newspaper editor and political figure. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada who represented Brant North from 1882 to 1896 and Wentworth North a ...

(1834–1916), Canadian journalist, editor and Member of Parliament (Brant North, Wentworth North and Brant electoral districts) *

James Somerville (admiral) Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing naval suppo ...

(1882–1949), British admiral during World War II * James Dugald Somerville, best known as J. D. Somerville, Scottish-Australian historian * Jason Somerville, American professional poker player *

Jimmy Somerville James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He sang in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a solo career. He is known in particular for his powerful and sou ...

(b. 1961), Scottish pop singer * John Somerville (1939–1984), Australian rules footballer with

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

(1960–1967) * John Somerville, Scottish football player and manager *

Julia Somerville Julia Mary Fownes Somerville, (born 14 July 1947) is an English television news reader and reporter who has worked for the BBC and ITN. Early life and education Somerville was born in Wells, Somerset, the granddaughter of Admiral of the Flee ...

(b. 1947), ITN newsreader *

Lord Somerville Lord Somerville is a title in the Peerage of Scotland which is subject to a number of ambiguities. The date of creation is not known with certainty but it was probably created about 1435 for Thomas Somerville, Justiciar of Scotland. The title ...

, any of a family of Scottish peers *

Margaret Somerville Margaret Anne Ganley Somerville (born 13 April 1942) is Professor of Bioethics at University of Notre Dame Australia. She was previously Samuel Gale Professor of Law at McGill University. Somerville was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and ...

(b. 1942), Canadian ethicist *

Mary Somerville Mary Somerville (; , formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorary ...

(1780–1872), Scottish scientific writer, after whom

Somerville College Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...

is named * Peggy Somerville (1918–1975), British Impressionist painter *

Peter Somerville Peter Somerville (born 8 July 1968) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 160 games for Essendon in the AFL. A ruckman, and son of John Somerville, he shared rucking duties with Paul Salmon for much of his career. He was a prem ...

(b. 1968), Australian rules footballer *

Phyllis Somerville Phyllis Jeanne Somerville (December 12, 1943 – July 16, 2020) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Little Children'' (2006), '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008), ''Surviving Famil ...

(1943–2020), American actress *

Reginald Somerville Reginald Somerville (1867 – 8 July 1948) was an English composer and actor. He is known for writing many drawing-room ballads such as "God Sends the Night", "Yestereve", "Zaida: A Song of the Desert" and "The Lark and the Nightingale", a ...

1867–1948, English composer and actor *

Richard Somerville Richard Chapin James Somerville (born 30 May 1941) is an American climate scientist who is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, where he has been a professor since ...

(b. 1941), American climatologist * Robert Somerville (b. 1940), American historian of Christianity * Robert Brown Somerville (1812–1904), Scottish-born merchant and politician in Quebec * Ross Somerville (1903–1991), Canadian golfer *

Shirley-Anne Somerville Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliamen ...

(b. 1974), Scottish politician *

Wesley Somerville William Wesley Somerville ( – 31 July 1975) was an Ulster loyalist militant, who held the rank of lieutenant in the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force's (UVF) Mid-Ulster Brigade during the period of conflict known as "the Troubles". With claims t ...

(c.1941–1975), Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary * Thomas David Somerville (b. 1915), former Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster *

William Lyon Somerville William Lyon Somerville (August 5, 1886 – April 14, 1965) was a Canadians, Canadian architect practicing in Toronto, Ontario and Southern Ontario, Canada. He was president of the Ontario Association of Architects, and president of the Royal Arch ...

(1886–1965), Canadian architect *

William Somervile William Somervile or Somerville (2 September 167517 July 1742) was an English poet who wrote in many genres and is especially remembered for "The Chace", in which he pioneered an early English georgic. Life Somervile, the eldest son of a long e ...

(1675–1742), English poet (Somerville is alternate surname spelling) * William Somerville (disambiguation), several people

References

{{surname, Somerville Scottish surnames de:Somerville eo:Somerville fr:Somerville

Derivation

History

People

See also

References