Show ContentsBucknam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Bucknam come from when the family resided in the parish of Buckingham in Oxfordshire. "This place is of great antiquity, and is supposed to have derived its name from the Saxon Bucca, a 'stag' or 'buck,' ing, a 'meadow,' and ham, a 'village;' being surrounded with extensive forests well stocked with deer. In 915, Edward the Elder fortified both sides of the river, where the town is situated, with high ramparts of earth, to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of the Danes; the remains are still visible. In 941, the Danes perpetrated dreadful outrages in the neighbourhood, and in 1010 took possession of the town as a place of safety. In the reign of Edward III., Buckingham sent three representatives to a council of trade held at Westminster. " [1]

Early Origins of the Bucknam family

The surname Bucknam was first found in Oxfordshire where the first record of the family was listing in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: John de Bukingham. [2]

"The Buckinghams are well represented in the South Molton district. There was an old Exeter family of Buckenham, members of which three times filled the office of mayor in the reign of Henry VIII." [3]

The Buckenham or Bokenham variants could have originated in either Old Buckenham or New Buckenham, parishes in the union of Guiltcross, hundred of Shropham, Norfolk. In this latter case, "this place owes its origin to William D'Albini, Earl of Chichester, who, disliking the situation of a castle which had been built at Old Buckenham about the time of the Conquest, demolished that structure, and erected another here, in the reign of Henry II." [1]

Osbern Bokenham or Bokenam (1383-1447?), was an early poet in the Suffolk dialect, born, according to his own statement, on 6 Oct. 1393. His birthplace was near 'an old pryory of blake canons,' which may be identified with Bokenham - the modern Old Buckenham, Norfolk, famous at one time for its Augustinian priory. " [4]

John Bokyngham or Buckingham (d. 1398), was Bishop of Lincoln, Rector of Olney, Prebendary of Lichfield, and dean in 1349. "He was appointed to the archdeaconry of Northampton in 1361, and in 1352 received from the king the prebend of Gretton in the church of Lincoln. He was keeper of the privy seal to Edward III. " [4]

Early History of the Bucknam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bucknam research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1524, 1530, 1531, 1648, 1649, 1701, 1702, 1704, 1705, 1713, 1773, 1786, 1825, 1855 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Bucknam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bucknam Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bucknam has been recorded under many different variations, including Buckingham, Buckinghame, Beckingham, Beckinhame, Buckinham, Bukingham, Buckenham, Bockingham and many more.

Early Notables of the Bucknam family

Notables of the family at this time include Robert Buckenham (fl. 1530), Prior of the Dominican or Black Friars at Cambridge, in which university he took the degrees of B.D. in 1524 and D.D. in 1531. [4]Sir Owen Buckingham (c.1649-1713), was an English merchant, alderman...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bucknam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bucknam migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bucknam or a variant listed above:

Bucknam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Bucknam, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1647 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bucknam (post 1700) +

  • William E. Bucknam, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Florida, 1992 [6]
  • Adolph R. Bucknam, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1922; Prohibition Candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, 1924 [6]
  • Royce Bucknam Howes (1901-1973), American Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook