Antrim History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Antrim was derived from the Old English expression meaning "homestead of the family or followers of a man called Anta" 1

Early Origins of the Antrim family

The surname Antrim was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat in the village of Antingham in that shire. The village is so named from the River Ant which has as its source Antingham Common. Prior to the Norman Conquest, in Saxon times, the village was named Attinga, Antigeham, and later Antingham. 2 At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book by William the Conqueror in 1086 the Manor of Antingham was held by Turstin FitzGuy, under tenant, from Chief tenant Roger Bigod, originally of Chanon Maletot, near Caen in Normandy, whose successors Hugh, and Roger Bigod his son, Earl of Norfolk, would be two of the 25 Barons who signed the Magna Charta in 1215. Robert Bigot, father of Roger, chief tenant, married the sister of Turstin Goz in Normandy, and the similarity of the two names cannot escape attention. Roger Bigod married Adeliza Grantemesnil and had seven children. He died in 1107 and is buried in Thetford Abbey in Norfolk. There is no record of Thurston FitzGuy being at the Conquest, nor did the name FitzGuy survive as a viable family name. It was customary, when the Normans introduced surnames into England in 1066, that the junior sons of the Baron would adopt the surname of the location where they held a family seat, so as to distinguish son from father. Turstin FitzGuy was under-tenant and seated at Antingham Manor. Conjecturally, the Antingham family surname is descended from this Norman noble, Turstin FitzGuy, who may have been the grandson, nephew or natural son of Roger Bigod, favorite of Duke William, who sired the Dukes of Norfolk.

Early History of the Antrim family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Antrim research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1414 and 1468 are included under the topic Early Antrim History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Antrim Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Antrim were recorded, including Antingham, Antlingham, Attingham, Antringham, Anthingham, Antygham and many more.

Early Notables of the Antrim family

More information is included under the topic Early Antrim Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Antrim migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Antrim arrived in North America very early:

Antrim Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Antrim, who settled in Boston in 1635
Thomas Antrim, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 3
James Antrim, who arrived in New Jersey in 1678
John Antrim, who arrived in New Jersey in 1682 3

Antrim migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Antrim Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Antrim, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 15 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Antrim (post 1700) +

Minna Thomas Antrim (1861-1950), American writer, best remembered for her quote "Experience is a great teacher, but she sends in terrific bills"
Harry Antrim (1884-1967), American actor in vaudeville, film and television
William Antrim (1859-1881), alias used by William Henry McCarty, Jr., better known as Billy the Kid, the infamous American outlaw of the Wild West
Commander Richard Nott Antrim (1907-1969), American naval officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942, eponym of the USS Antrim (FFG-20)
Walter E. Antrim, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Philippine Islands, 1928 5
Benajah Antrim, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Burlington County, 1852 5

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html