LATIMER
Latimer is a surname of both English and French provenance. It first entered the English onomastic landscape when Norman conquerors settled in the country in the late eleventh century. The name is a derivative of the Old French latonier – a brass worker or founder – and, in a parallel line of development, of the Latin latinarius, meaning a person who speaks Latin.
The Latin version of the word was applied to a specialized occupation in medieval England: the Latimer was an interpreter, clerk or keeper of records who translated Latin into the Anglo‑Norman French that dominated court and church documents. As Latin was the sole language in which official documents were written, the Latimer occupied an essential and respected position. The derivation from Old French latimier is also recorded in a twenty‑fifth century document, the Promptorium arbulorum, where it is described as “he that uses Latin speak.”
The earliest documented bearer of a Latinised version of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Ralph Latimarus of Essex and Hugo Latinarius, Interpreter of Hampshire are recorded as such. These entries confirm that the surname was in use within a generation of the Norman Conquest.
In the early twelfth century the name is further recorded in the Chartulary of the Monastery of Ramsey with the entry Gocelinus le Latimer, dated 1102. This attests to the entrenched use of the name in a period of consolidating Norman administration. A later example found in London Church Registers shows the christening of Josua Latimer at St. Lawrence Pountney on 24 July 1548, evidence that the name had become established within the civic sphere of the capital.
A Chief Heraldic achievement was granted to a family bearing the surname during the reign of Edward the First (1272–1307). Their armorial device consists of a red shield with four black escallops set upon a gold cross patonce, a motif that reinforces the solemn and authoritative character traditionally associated with the name.
The surname has generated a range of orthographic variants which arose due to regional dialects, the lack of standardised spelling and the difficulties of transliteration from Latin and French into English. Common variants include Latymer, Lattimer, Lattimore and sporadic forms such as Lattemore or Lettimore. By the early modern period the name was firmly planted across southern and northern England, eventually spreading to Ireland, Scotland, the Americas and Australasia as part of broader waves of migration.
Notable individuals with the surname include the Protestant reformer Bishop Hugh Latimer (1485–1555), who suffered martyrdom under the reign of Mary I, and, in more recent times, the English politician James Latimer and the American inventor Lewis Howard Latimer. Their achievements reflect a continuation of the Latimer legacy within public life and scientific advancement.
In contemporary demographics the surname is most frequently found in England, followed by the United States, Canada, Australia and Scotland. Its persistent presence in these English‑speaking regions attests to the endurance of the name and the continued respect for its historical roots within the broader Anglo‑Celtic cultural sphere.
Typical given names associated with the Latimer surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Lattimer
- Lattimore
- Latimar
- Ladmore
- Latim
- Latimir
- Latimor
- Latimore
- Latimour
- Latiner
- Latmore
- Lattamore
- Lattemore
- Lattimar
- Lattimor
- Lattiner
- Latymer
- Laudymore
- Letimier
- Lettimer
- Lettmer
- Lidamore
- Liddamore
- Liddemore
- Liddimore
- Litamore
- Lodemore
- Lodmore
- Loodmer
- Lotimer
- Lotmore
- Lottimer
- Ludmer
- Ludmir
- Lutmer
- Luttmer
- Lydamore
- Lydemore
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Latimer in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Latimer are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Shortbread.
There are approximately 2,765 people named Latimer in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,236th most common surname in Britain. Around 42 in a million people in Britain are named Latimer.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Latimer
- Thomas Raymond Latimer - Professional wrestler and actor
- Andrew Latimer - Musician
- William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer - Noble, soldier and diplomat (1330 to 1381)
- Michael Latimer - (1941 to 2011)
- Hugh Latimer - Actor (1913 to 2006)
- Louise Latimer - Tennis player
- Alan Noel Latimer - Writer (1913 to 1974)
- Frank Latimer - Football player (1923 to 1)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.