Medieval Mortimers

Mortimer is a classic British surname with medieval Norman origins. As with other Norman names, it derives from a locality, in this case the small village of Mortemer sur Eaulne, in Normandy's Pay de Bray region. The Normans were descended from the Northmen, ruthless Vikings who pillaged the Frankish coastline in the Early Middle Ages. The Normans converted to Christianity and adopted Frankish culture, bringing their own unique skills and customs to England following the Norman conquest. A Norman knight Roger de Mortimer, perhaps accompanied William the Conqueror to England, where the name has existed ever since. The name was adopted by Roger’s descendants, and Mortimer is now one of the oldest Norman hereditary names in Britain. The medieval Mortimer family tree sums up the generations of medieval Mortimers and related families. The principal branch of the family tree were the Mortimers of Wigmore, who became Barons Mortimer then Earls of March. 

DNA Studies

Mortimer might be one of the few surnames which can potentially be traced back to a single common ancestor; in this case the 11th century Roger de Mortimer who lived in Normandy. Though all Mortimers might be descended from the above Roger, it is impossible to prove using traditional documentation from medieval times to the present day, as past records were often patchy and detailed only the land owning elites. Even for the noble houses such as the medieval Mortimer family, it is sometimes difficult to establish close family relationships.

Following the British diaspora, the name is now found throughout the world, though England still has the highest number of Mortimers. DNA studies have the potential to cast light on how the different branches of the Mortimer family relate, particularly as more people join in the study. One such study is the Mortimer one name project. Read more in Favourite Websites.