TITANIC AND THE ISMAY FAMILY
BE MINDFUL
ISMAY FAMILY ORIGINS
The earliest examples of the name include, Yasemay Vidua and Isamey Egleberd both found in the Hundred Rolls for the county of Oxford in 1273. Richard fil Ysmay was found in the Hundred Rolls for the county of Linconshire and Ismaya Hibernicia was also found.
P H Reaney's Dictionary of British Surnames (second edition) notes the earliest occurrencies of the name as Ysemay de Mult in 1275 in the Royali Hundredorum for Linconshire. Hyssamaye and Isemay were found in the Descriptive Catalogue of 13th centuery Charters for Sheffield, Yorkshire and William Ysmay in the 1327 Subsidy Roll for Derbyshire.
Reaney notes that "Is" occurs in a number of old German names and quotes Foresremann's derivation of "Machareas" rom the root "Mag" which is related to the Old High German word "magan" meaning "might". He also notes that Forssner suggests the old French word "Maissent" may contain the same first element, from the Old German Magisand, Megisind, and hence he concludes that Ismay may perhaps be from Old German "Ismagi or Ismegi" meaning "iron might or strength"
We should also bear in mind that even as recently as the last 160 years, those responsible for recording births etc. simply wrote the names in the way that they were heard, i.e. no allowance was made for local accents. This would be true to say for many surnames, however, for anyone familiar with local accents in England, it is easy to see how the surname ISMAY could be recorded as Ysmay, Isamey, Yasemay or Ismaya for example.
The Ismay Family
VARIANTS
I have recently came across a theory of how the name Ismay came to England,
It is said that the name ISMAY may come from a Norman knight by the name of De Isme, or De Ismey.
D'Isme was given lands for his gallant part in quelling Harold's subjects in South East England when William the conqueror landed on the shores of England. The lands were Cumbria (formerly Cumberland) so it appears the derivation of Ismay may well have Germanic origins, as Normans came from the Border lands of France/Germany/Holland. One message was quite clear, the name Ismay and it's variants was not within Britain before the Norman Conquest.
This information is, I believe, held in The Round Reading Room, Guild Hall, London.
There are records of several family members dating back between 1449 and 1495 in the Westminster / Dartmouth areas although the main root of the family is traceable to North West Cumberland (Cumbria), showing a strong presence in that area from the beginning of the 17th century. My particular branch of the family which also includes Thomas Henry and J Bruce Ismay has its origins here.
From around 1640 the main habitiat was Bromfield in the parish of Dundraw, Cumbria with various generations being settled there for over 200 years. Over the years the family expanded southward along the costal regions of Cumbria and and into Northmberland and Yorkshire. Soon branches of the family settled in Liverpool and the southern counties before expanding overseas.
