Mitchelmore

Mitchelmore One-Name Study

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Study details

Study: Mitchelmore

Variants: Michelmore, Mitchamore, Mitchmore, Muchamore, Muchemore, Muchmore, Mutchmore

Category: 3 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is well under way on a global basis.

Guild hosted website: mitchelmore.one-name.net

DNA website: www.familytreedna.com/public/Mitchelmore

Contact: Prof Michael Mitchelmore

About the study

This One Name Study is designed to collect, organise and disseminate information about M-CH-MOREs (where '-' can be replaced by one or two or even no letters) all over the world and at all times. It was founded by Bob MUCHAMORE of Adelaide in the 1990s, and I have continued it since Bob's death in 2004.

Variant names

Among contemporary variants the most obvious are MITCHELMORE and MICHELMORE, to which are related the rarer MITCHAMORE and MITCHMORE. The variants MUCHMORE, MUCHAMORE, MUCHEMORE and MOUCHEMORE are less obviously related, but their derivation from the MITCHELMORE surname is well documented.

Name origin

It has been suggested that the M-CH-MORE surname derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for 'Great Moor', referring to Dartmoor. The first part, M-CH, may come from *muckle*, meaning great, much or many, which occurs in various guises in several British surnames (e.g., Mickleburgh) and place names (e.g., Much Dewchurch in Herefordshire and Muckle Knowe in Northumberland).

Historical occurrences of the name

(see below)

Name frequency

The site forebears.io reports that there are approximately 3,500 M-CH-MOREs alive today. Of these, the most common variants are MITCHELMORE (mainly in the UK) and MUCHMORE (mainly in the USA), each surname comprising 35% of the total number.

Distribution of the name

In the 17th century, most MITCHELMOREs/MUCHAMOREs lived in the southern South Hams, Devon, England and were agricultural labourers, whereas the MICHELMOREs lived a little farther north and were gentlemen farmers. Both areas are just south of Dartmoor, a possible source of the surname (see above), and there is strong DNA evidence that both groups derived from a single ancestor. Another, apparently unrelated, group of MITCHELMOREs lived in Cornwall, but their surname morphed into MUCHMORE in the 18th century. In the USA, the surnames of the descendants of a pair of 17th century MITCHELMORE immigrants also morphed into MUCHMORE. Today, M-CH-MOREs of all variants are scattered all over the world.

Data

I hold a database of over 6500 M-CH-MOREs from all over the world, most of which I have been able to organise into 12 extensive family trees and a number of shorter sequences. The raw data and the reconstructed family trees are available at the study's web site, mitchelmore.one-name.net, which is regularly updated. Data on the two US MUCHMORE lines are held separately by the Muchmore Family Association at www.muchmore.org.

DNA

The M-CH-MORE DNA project currently has 26 members from almost all of the 12 reconstructed trees originating in the UK as well as both of the US MUCHMORE lines. The detailed results, which are available at www.familytreedna.com/public/Mitchelmore, indicate a core group of seven trees - six from the South Hams and one from the USA - all with the comparatively rare haplogroup I-M223. Most of the other trees have the very common European haplogroup R-M269. However, several trees are currently represented by only one member, and the above conclusions may change when further M-CH-MORE men are tested.

Contact Details

Prof Michael Mitchelmore

General Search Results

Occurrences of the surname Mitchelmore in the Guild Indexes

(Click on the number to view the search results in each index. Indexes marked by * are only accessible by logged in Guild members.)

Global Marriages 333
Inscriptions Index 1
Modern Newspaper Index 8
Probate Index* 88
Study materials for the study Mitchelmore* 1
References to the name Mitchelmore in the Guild Journal 4

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