The Latimer surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,733 people carried this name — #3,653 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 30,300 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (9,705).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Latimer surname

From latimer (“interpreter, speaker of Latin”), q.v.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Latimer» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the latimer’.

An early record he cites: Alan le Latimer, Suffolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 470 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Latimer name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 4
Ulster 4

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Latimer was recorded 14 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1484th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 16. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

70 families named Latimer, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 381 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 11 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 26
Pennsylvania 12
Virginia 9
Maryland 8
New York 7
North Carolina 4
South Carolina 3
Massachusetts 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Latimer in American newspapers,
1893–1918.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Latimer
The Portland Daily Press 1902-07-18
Newspaper page from The Sea Coast Echo carrying the name Latimer
The Sea Coast Echo 1893-04-01
Newspaper page from The Grenada Sentinel carrying the name Latimer
The Grenada Sentinel 1918-02-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 130,945 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Latimer in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

12,819 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Latimer. The most, 2,733, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,885
Victoria 2,358
Queensland 2,289
South Australia 1,066
Western Australia 732
Tasmania 356
ACT (Canberra) 77
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Latimer.

Who carried it

People named Latimer,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Hugh Latimer
    Hugh Latimer 1485–1555 · writer
  • James Latimer
    James Latimer 1719–1807
  • Elizabeth le Latimer d. 1412
  • William Latimer, 2nd Lord Latimer 1276–1327 · soldier
  • William Latimer, 3rd Baron Latimer 1301–1335
  • William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer 1330–1381 · military personnel

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Latimer,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,007 records

1,007 records of the Latimer name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 394
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 244
  • Other U.S. records 369
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles L. Latimer

    Born 1917 in Missouri. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks; sawmill worker from New Madrid County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Mounds Park Cemetery, New Madrid, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Albert Latimer

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Arizona from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; agent. From Blackburn, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Eli Latimer

    Born 1944; from Tinker Afb, Oklahoma. U.S. Marine Corps, infantry officer; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,007 records for Latimer in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia375 records

375 records of the Latimer name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 134
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 77
  • Other Australian records 164
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sarah Latimer

    Died 1904 in Detention River, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1905.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Charlotte Latimer

    Born 1857 in Port Sorell, Tasmania. Married 1878 in Horton, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Latimer

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Red Jacket, aged 10; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 375 records for Latimer in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada130 records

130 records of the Latimer name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 80
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 18
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Latimer

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Scan, bound for London, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gary Joseph Latimer

    Buried in 1990 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 38.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Latimer

    Died 1909 in Cap la Ronde, Richmond, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 130 records for Latimer in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom15 records

15 records of the Latimer name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 13
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Vincent Barton Latimer

    Will proved in 1937; of Pentraeth, Anglesey.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. G. Latimer

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Latimer

    Royal Irish Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Latimer in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Latimer name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 9
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Latimer

    Died 1943, aged 85; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Hugh Latimer

    Born 1927, died 1997; buried at Kaiapoi Anglican Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Bernard Latimer

    Died 1998, aged 81; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Latimer in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Latimer name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Carl Raleigh Latimer

    Born 1913 in the United States; died 1991 in Bezalles (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Latimer name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Maria Catharina Latimer

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1846 in Tiel.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Latimer.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Latimer is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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