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Bottom History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bottom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Bottom name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Bottom was originally derived from a family having lived in an area with a broad valley, or a hillside. Bootham is a district near the center of the city of York, North Yorkshire. Blidworth Bottoms is a hamlet in Nottinghamshire. Angram Bottoms is a 24 acres biological site near to the village of Angram in the Yorkshire Dales. Today Pitt Town Bottoms is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.

Early Origins of the Bottom family

The surname Bottom was first found in Norfolk and North Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Dowe de Bothemes who was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1246. A few years later, Laurence de Biouthom who was listed in 1287 and a de Bothum who was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1303. Just five years later, Richard del Botham was listed in the Court Rolls in the Manor of Wakefield in 1307. 1

Early History of the Bottom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bottom research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bottom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bottom Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bottom include Bottom, Botham, Bootham, Bodham and others.

Early Notables of the Bottom family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Bottom of Yorkshire

Bottom Ranking

In the United States, the name Bottom is the 10,121^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Bottom migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bottom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Bottom, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 3
Richard Bottom, who settled in Virginia in 1633
Thomas Bottom, who landed in Virginia in 1678-1679 3

Bottom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Parker Bottom, who settled in New England in 1850
George Bottom, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852

Bottom migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bottom Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ensign Elijah Bottom U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 4
Mr. Richard Bottom U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 4

Bottom migration to Australia +

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

Bottom Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Catherine Bottom, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Mrs. Catherine Bottom, (b. 1802), aged 33 born in Helston, Cornwall, UK convicted in Southampton on 15th July 1835, sentenced for life for stealing sheep, transported aboard the ship "Arab" in 1835 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 6
John Bottom, aged 27, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 7
Amos Bottom, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 7
William James Bottom, aged 24, a gardener, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emigrant" 8

Bottom 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:

Bottom Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Bottom, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name Bottom (post 1700) +

Curtis Bottom, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1948 (alternate), 1952 (alternate), 1956 9

Citations +

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/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EPAMINONDAS 1852. Retrieved www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1852.shtml
South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emigrant 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emigrant1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html