Family History and Genealogy Resources by Surname
Sumner Surname Origin
One whose duty consisted in citing delinquents to the ecclesiastical courts; an apparitor; literally, a summoner. 'Sim Somnor, in hast, wend thou thi way, Byd Joseph and his wyff, be name, At the coort to apper this day, Hem to pourge of her defame.' Coventry Mysteries. Chaucer gives us a description of the Sompnour in his Canterbury Tales.
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
Sumner Surname Meaning and Family Facts
Sumner Last Name Meaning
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A Sumner Family History Thought:
'If man cares not for his roots, then how can he care for his branches?' --Doyle M Davis