Probably a quarter of English names have strong Saxon or later Germanic influences, Harmer, Harmar, and Hermer, and its 'associates' Harme, Harms, and Harmes come into these categories. There origination is believed to be a derivative of the original pre 7th Century personal name "Heremar", a compound which translates as "Army-Famous" and shown in the pre-surname recording "Heremerus de la Bolde", in the 1176 Pipe Rolls of Stafford. Or it is possible that the name may occasionally be locational and derive from the town of Harms in Germany, and as such associated with both the later Huguenot movement or the earlier textile industry as epitomised by the "Flemish Weaver" immigrants of the Middle Ages. Early examples of the surname recording include Walter Hermer in the pipe rolls of Suffolk for 1327, and Richard Harmer in the same county, but in the Subsidy rolls of 1524 in the reign of King Henry V111 (1510 - 1547). The coat of arms has a blazon which includes a silver field charged with a chevron between three red annulets. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Willemus Hermeri, which was dated October 24th 1591, at St. Martin in the Fields, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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