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Show ContentsHannum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Hannum is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hannum 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 Hannum 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 Hannum family

The surname Hannum 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 Hannum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hannum 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 Hannum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hannum Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hanham, Hannam, Haname, Hannan, Hannem, Hanhams, Hannams, Hanam, Hanams, Hannum and many more.

Early Notables of the Hannum 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 Hannum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hannum Ranking

In the United States, the name Hannum is the 10,762nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 9

Ireland Migration of the Hannum family to Ireland

Some of the Hannum 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.

United States Hannum migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hannum or a variant listed above:

Hannum Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Hannum, who arrived in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1653 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Hannum (post 1700) +

  • Thom P. Hannum, American percussionist and music educator, former associate director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band
  • Alberta Leona Pierson Hannum (1906-1985), American author best known for her best-selling novel Roseanna McCoy, a fictionalized account of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, which was turned into a motion picture in 1949 by RKO General
  • John Berne Hannum (1915-2007), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1984-2007), Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1969-1984)
  • Col. John Hannum III (1744-1799), American politician, businessman and colonial militiaman in Chester County, Pennsylvania, his home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980
  • Brigadier-General Warren Thomas Hannum (1880-1956), American Division Engineer, Salt Lake City Division (1943-1944) 11
  • Alexander Murray "Alex" Hannum (1923-2002), American professional NBA basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach
  • Nathan B. Hannum (1851-1920), American politician, North Dakota State Auditor (1897 to 1898)
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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.
  8. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  9. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  11. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Warren Hannum. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hannum/Warren_Thomas/USA.html
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