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Bainbridge History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bainbridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Bainbridge is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the parish of Aysgarth in North Yorkshire. [1] [2] [3]

The family originated in Bainbridge, which derives from the Old Norse words Beinn which literally means straight, and from the Old English word "Brycg" which means bridge. [4] According to tradition, a Saxon by the name of Bayn defended a bridge against the enemy.

Early Origins of the Bainbridge family

The surname Bainbridge was first found in North Yorkshire where Bainbridge is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district. This township holds about 14,210 acres, and takes its name from the river Bain. The Roman name for Bainbridge was Virosidum and the remains of a Roman Fort are located just outside the village. [5]

"Bainbridge is a name that is also well represented in one form or another in the neighbouring counties of Yorkshire and Westmorland. The old family of Bainbrigg of the county of Durham dates back to the 15th century; and last century several mayors of the city of Durham bore the name of Bainbridge (S.), which is yet represented there. At present the name is mostly established in the Darlington district. In fact Bainbridge has been a Darlington name since the time of Elizabeth (Long.). It has also been established in Stocliton - on - Tees since the middle of the 16th century, when John Baynbridge was mayor. Bainbrigg, or Bainbrige, was the name of a High Sheriff of York in the time of Henry V., and of an archbishop of York and a primate of England in the time of Henry VIII. The Bainbrigge family of Derbyshire came from Wheatley, in the West Riding, in the 16th century; they represented Derby in the parliament during that century." [6]

One of the first records of the family was that of Matilda de Baynbrigg who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Later Robert Baynbryg was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. [7]

Bembridge is a village and civil parish on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight where the Bembridge Windmill is the only remaining windmill on the Isle of Wight and dates from around 1700.

Early History of the Bainbridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bainbridge research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1301, 1462, 1511, 1514, 1545, 1556, 1582, 1583, 1606, 1636, 1643, 1646, 1703 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bainbridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bainbridge Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bainbridge include Bainbridge, Bainebridge, Banbridge, Bainbrigg, Baynbrigg and many more.

Early Notables of the Bainbridge family

Distinguished members of the family include

Christopher Bainbridge (1462-1514), Archbishop of York, who was made a Cardinal by Pope Julius II on 10 March, 1511. "He was born of a good family at Hilton, near Appleby, in Westmorland. He is said t...
John Bainbridge (1582-1643), was an English physician and astronomer, son of Robert and Anne Bainbridge, was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire
Thomas Bainbrigg, Bambridge or Bembridge D.D. (1636-1703), was an English Protestant controversialist and William Bainbridge (died 1583), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Derby

Bainbridge Ranking

In the United States, the name Bainbridge is the 12,275^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [8] However, in the United Kingdom, the name Bainbridge is ranked the 948^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,348 people with that name. [9]

Bainbridge migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bainbridge or a variant listed above:

Bainbridge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Guy Bainbridge who settled in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1620
Guy Bainbridge, who landed in Boston in 1634 [10]
Henry Bainbridge, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [10]
John Bainbridge, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1683
John Bainbridge, who landed in New Jersey in 1684 [10]

Bainbridge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Bainbridge, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804
James R Bainbridge, aged 20, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 [10]

Bainbridge migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bainbridge Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Sam Bainbridge, who settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1774
Samuel Bainbridge, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774

Bainbridge Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Bainbridge, aged 24, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the barque "New Brunswick" from Liverpool, England
Charles M Bainbridge, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Bainbridge migration to Australia +

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

Bainbridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Catherine Bainbridge, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Diana" on 4th December 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [11]
Mr. William Allen Bainbridge, British Convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12]
William Bainbridge, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Constance" [13]
John Bainbridge, aged 20, a smith, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Blundell"

Bainbridge migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bainbridge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Bainbridge, aged 29, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Isabella Bainbridge, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
John Bainbridge, aged 6, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Sarah Bainbridge, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Elizabeth Bainbridge, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bainbridge (post 1700) +

William Sims Bainbridge (b. 1940), American sociologist
William G. Bainbridge (1925-2008), the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army
Commodore William Bainbridge (1774-1833), American Commander of "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812, namesake of the city of Bainbridge, Georgia
Kenneth Tompkins Bainbridge (1904-1996), American physicist, professor of physics at Harvard University, who directed world's first atomic bomb tests
Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge (1925-2003), American nuclear physicist and engineer
Stephen Levi Bainbridge, American politician, Mayor of Chico, California, 1929-33, 1937-38 [14]
Robert S. Bainbridge (1913-1959), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Senate, 1943-46 [14]
Mrs. J. A. Bainbridge, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1940 [14]
Frank Bainbridge, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1936 [14]
Alexander Gilbert Bainbridge (1885-1936), American Republican politician, Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1933-35 [14]
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bainbridge family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Thomas Eric Bainbridge (1939-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Meadowbank, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash [15]

Hillcrest Coal Mine

Mr. Sidney H Bainbridge (1873-1914), English Miner from North Field, Worchester, England, United Kingdom who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse [16]

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Harry Michael Bainbridge (1954-1988), American Attorney from Montrose, New York, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died [17]

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 5th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diana
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Constance.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html