# Pomeroy (surname)

Pomeroy or De La Pommeraie is a surname documented from the 11th century. Currently spelled as Pomeroy and the many variations which have occurred over time and geopolitical location. These variations include Pomroy, Pomery, Pumroy, Pummery, Pummeroy, de Pomerai, de Pomeroy, Pommery and Pumfrey.

## Etymology

Despite the clearly found words of pomme and roy in the name, meaning "apple" in French and "king" in Old French (French roi), the surname given to Radulphus is not linked with the Old French word roy, but is the common place-name Pommeraye, that means "orchard of apple-trees", Modern French word pommeraie [fr], from pommier "apple-tree" and old suffix -aye, now -aie, meaning "a collection of trees". Originally the suffix -aye was masculine : -ey, -ay and sometimes -oy. The secondary phonetic shift -ey > -oy is normally typical of Picard and the Eastern dialects of Langue d'oïl, but can sometimes be observed in Normandy.

## Origins of the family

There are several La Pommeraye in Normandy, but the sources mention generally two possible birth places of the family, both in Lower Normandy.
One in the Cotentin Peninsula on the commune of Saint-Sauveur-la-Pommeraye, now in the Manche département, 12 km from Granville.
The other possible location is La Pommeraye, commune of the Calvados département between Thury-Harcourt and Pont-d'Ouilly (35 km south from Caen). The château Ganne at La Pommeraye is believed to be the original seat of the family and the de la Pomeroi founded the Val Abbey at Saint-Omer, Calvados.

## History

Following the Norman conquest of England, Radulph[us] de la Pomeray is found in the Domesday Book (1086) holding numerous properties as Lord or Tenant-in-chief; 98 in Devon, 2 in Somerset, and 1 in Cornwall. His holdings included a castle at Berry Pomeroy, of which the family retained possession until the second year of the reign of King Edward VI, Henry VIII's son, and the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549 when the castle was sold to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset.

## List of people with this surname

* Allan Pomeroy (1907-1966), mayor of Seattle from 1952 to 1956
* Arthur Pomeroy, cleric
* Arthur Pomeroy, 1st Viscount Harberton (1723-1798), Irish politician
* Ben Pomeroy (born 1984), Australian rugby player
* Charles Pomeroy (1825–1891), US congressman from Iowa
* Charles A. Pomeroy (1914–1993), justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
* Charles Rhodes Pomeroy (1830–1916), American educator
* Dave Pomeroy (born 1956), Nashville vocalist, songwriter, producer, and bassist
* Duane Pomeroy (born 1952), American politician from Kansas
* Earl Pomeroy (born 1952), American politician from North Dakota
* Earl S. Pomeroy (1915-2005), American Historian
* Elsie Lower Pomeroy (1882–1971), American botanical illustrator and painter
* F. W. Pomeroy (Frederick William Pomeroy, 1856–1924), British sculptor
* Florence Wallace Pomeroy, Viscountess Harberton (1843-1911), British dress reformer
* Henry Pomeroy, 2nd Viscount Harberton (1749-1829), Irish politician
* Herb Pomeroy (1930–2007), American musician
* Jesse Pomeroy (1859–1932), American killer
* Jim Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people:
** Jim Pomeroy (motorcyclist) (1952–2006), professional motocross racer
** Jim Pomeroy (politician) (1936–2016), member of the North Dakota Senate
** Jim Pomeroy (artist) (1945–1992), American artist
* John Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people
** John Pomeroy, American animator
** John Norton Pomeroy, American lawyer
** John Pomeroy (British Army officer)
** John Pomeroy (died 1416), MP for Totnes
* Julia Pomeroy, American actress and author
* Ken Pomeroy, creator of college basketball website and statistical archive
* Laurence Pomeroy (1883–1941), British automotive engineer
* Lawrence R. Pomeroy (1925–2020), American zoologist, ecologist, and oceanography
* Leslie Wing Pomeroy, American actress
* Louise Pomeroy (c. 1853–1893), American Shakespearean actress
* Marcus M. Pomeroy, American newspaperman
* Ralph Pomeroy (disambiguation), several people
* Robert Watson Pomeroy (1902–1989), New York politician
* Samuel C. Pomeroy (1816–1891), American politician from Kansas and railroad businessman
* Sarah B. Pomeroy (1938–), American classicist
* Seth Pomeroy (1706–1777), American gunsmith and soldier
* Theodore M. Pomeroy (1824–1905), US congressman from New York
* Wardell Pomeroy (1913–2001), American sexologist
* Wesley Pomeroy (1920–1998), American lawyer and public servant
* William J. Pomeroy (1916–2009), American communist
* Ken Pomeroy (2004–), American singer