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Hanham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hanham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hanham reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hanham family lived in Hanham, Gloucestershire, a hamlet, in the parish of Bitton, union of Keynsham, Upper division of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead. 1

The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first recorded as Hunun. 2

Ancient records reveal the name Hanham is derived from the Old English roots han, which means rock, and ham, which means village or settlement, collectively meaning "place at the rocks." 3

However, another source notes a different meaning: "at the High Enclosure [Old English heán, dat. of heáh, high; ham(m, enclosure, piece of land] Hanham is on high ground." 4

Early Origins of the Hanham family

The surname Hanham was first found in Gloucestershire. Conjecturally, they are descended from Hunbald who held the lands of Hanham, now a suburb of Bristol, from Arnulf de Hesdin at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 A.D.

However, it was not until the 12th century when the first person of the name was officially recorded, that being of Peter de Hanham, Lord of the Manor of Hanham. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include Thomas de Hanam, Somerset. 6 Again in Somerset, Roger de Hanam was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7

The Subsidy Rolls of Somerset included Rober de Hanam in 1327 and much later, John Hanham was listed in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1437-1438. 8

Early History of the Hanham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hanham research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1554, 1559, 1589, 1594, 1654, 1656, 1667, 1795 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hanham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanham Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Hanham include Hanham, Hannam, Haname, Hannan, Hannem, Hanhams, Hannams, Hanam, Hanams, Hannum and many more.

Early Notables of the Hanham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Hannam or Hammond (died 1559), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Poole in 1547 and Melcombe Regis in November 1554.Richard Hannam (d. 1656), was a robber and son of a shoemaker of Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire. "He was apprenticed to a silk weaver in London, but left to become a tapster, and finally joined a gang of thieves. He engaged in burglary unaccompanied by violence, and speedily gained great notoriety. Early in his career he was apprehended for a robbery of plate from the Earl of Pembroke, but escaped and left the country...
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hanham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hanham family to Ireland

Some of the Hanham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hanham migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Hanhams to arrive on North American shores:

Hanham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Hanham who settled in Virginia in 1608

Hanham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Hanham, who settled in Virginia in 1773
Thomas Hanham, aged 21, who landed in Virginia in 1773 9

Hanham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hanham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Hanham, who settled in Hants Harbour in 1829
John Hanham, who settled in Leading Tickles, Newfoundland in 1845 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Hanham (post 1700) +

Nellie Hanham, British television actress
Joan Brownlow Hanham (b. 1939), Baroness Hanham CBE is a Conservative member of the British House of Lords

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0