Passmore
An English surname most likely meaning “one who lived by a pass or narrow way by a moor.”
The #5,510 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,899 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually explained as a habitational or topographic surname built from Middle English pas or passe, meaning a pass, passage, or narrow path, plus Middle English more, “moor.” In other words, it likely described someone who lived near a pass by the moor, or came from a place so named. Some older writers also linked it to a place-name such as Peasemore, but the pass + moor explanation is the standard one in the historical sources consulted.
History
The name is recorded in medieval and later English forms, and appears especially in southwestern England. Historical surname writers note clusters in Devon and nearby counties, including Tiverton, South Molton, and Exeter-area records. Variant spellings such as Pasmore and Passemore show that the first element was often written flexibly before spelling became fixed.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical source notes Passmore as a long-established Devon family name, with early civic and parish records in the Tiverton area.
From the historical record
“pas, hat. pass-US, a step, track + E. man'] PASSMORE. If, as seems likely, this is a M.E. local name, the first element is prob. M.E. pas{s, a pass, passage, narrow path [Fr. pas, passe ; Lat. pass-ifs, a step] + M.E. more [O.E. mdt, a moor] Cp. Padmore. !”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)