The Hammontree surname traces back at least to the early 18th century when Jonathan and Mary Hammontree appear as the first documented Hammontree couple. They were married in Richmond County, Virginia about 1718. Jonathan's ancestral home is unknown. Varying interpretations attempt to trace the Hammontree surname further back to English, French, German, Irish or Scottish origins. None of these interpretations has been proved. Perhaps DNA testing might ultimately determine a specific genetic pool in Europe from which the Hammontree Y-chromosome descends.