Fleming Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Fleming Family History

Fleming Family History

The family history of the ancient name Fleming was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Fleming include Flemyng and Fleeming. This is a locational name meaning 'of Flanders'. This name is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in these countries. Examples of such are a John le Flemeng who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and in Scotland a Theobald the Fleming had a grant of land on the Douglas Water, from the Abbot of Kelso in the year 1147. The name in Ireland is recorded from the twelfth century onward, when many Flemings migrated to Ireland. The Irish Flemings arrived just before the Normans and owned great estates in Meath and elsewhere. Lord Slane, who was Christopher Fleming, owned the Castle of Slane in the seventeenth century, but his loyalty to King James II caused his downfall.The Fleming family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Fleming descendants.