Show ContentsHallam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Hallam family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Hallam, a place name found in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, this place is called Hallum. [1] In Yorkshire, Hallam is found in the South Riding.

Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old Scandinavian word hallr, or from the Old English word hall, both of which meant "stony." The place name meant "the stony place, the place at the rocks." [2]

In Derbyshire there is a place called West Hallam and another called Kirk Hallam. These names are derived from the Old English word halh, which meant "remote nook of land." Kirk in the Old English meat "church;" the name as a whole would be "church in a remote place," while West Hallam was a "remote place in the west." [3]

Early Origins of the Hallam family

The surname Hallam was first found in Yorkshire at Hallam or perhaps at Halling, a village on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent that dates back to Saxon times in the 8th century when it was first listed as Hallingas. [3]

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was known as Hallinges, [1] and literally meant "settlement of the family of a man called Heall, " from the Old English personal name + "ingas." [3]

A scan of early rolls revealed Adam de Hallum in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and John de Hallum in Lancashire in 1328. Richard de Halom was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and Henry de Halom held lands in Yorkshire in 1392. [4]

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hallom and Elena de Hallum. [5]

In Scotland, the name was "probably a late introduction from England. Janet Hallam was in the Carse of Twynholm, 1758. John Hallum or Hallume was hanged for being a Covenanter, 1685." [6]

Early History of the Hallam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallam research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1360, 1370, 1403, 1405, 1417 and 1537 are included under the topic Early Hallam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallam 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 Hallam include Hallam, Halam, Hallum and others.

Early Notables of the Hallam family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Robert Hallam (d. 1417), an English churchman, Bishop of Salisbury and English representative at the Council of Constance. He was Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1403 to 1405. He was born...
  • John Hallam (d. 1537), was an English "conspirator, a native of Cawkill, Yorkshire, and had much local influence and popularity. A determined Romanist he strenuously opposed the king's supremacy and t...

Hallam World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hallam is the 10,763rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [7] However, in Australia, the name Hallam is ranked the 970th most popular surname with an estimated 4,097 people with that name. [8] And in the United Kingdom, the name Hallam is the 844th popular surname with an estimated 8,017 people with that name. [9]


United States Hallam 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 Hallam or a variant listed above:

Hallam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Hallam, who landed in Virginia in 1637 [10]
  • Thomas Hallam, who landed in Virginia in 1656 [10]
Hallam Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Hallam, who landed at Maryland in 1741
  • James Hallam who settled in Maryland in 1741
Hallam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Stephen Hallam, aged 54, who arrived in New York in 1812 [10]
  • Joaquin Hallam, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1830 [10]
  • Thomas and William Hallam, who settled in Newcastle Co. Del. in 1855
  • Benjamin Hallam, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1863 [10]
  • John Hallam, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1863 [10]

Australia Hallam migration to Australia +

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

Hallam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Hallam, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [11]
  • Mr. Joseph Hallam, (b. 1800), aged 29, English farm labourer who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1865 [12]
  • Mr. Thomas Hallam, (b. 1781), aged 48, English farm labourer who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1830 [12]
  • Mr. John Hallam, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [13]
  • Thomas Hallam, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Emily" [14]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Hallam 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:

Hallam Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Charles Fisher Hallam, (b. 1826), aged 35, British carpenter, from Surrey travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 [15]
  • Mrs. Ann Hallam, (b. 1830), aged 31, British settler, from Surrey travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 [15]
  • Miss Eliza Ann Hallam, (b. 1855), aged 6, British settler, from Surrey travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 [15]
  • Thomas Hallam, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1883

West Indies Hallam migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [16]
Hallam Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Hallam, who arrived in Barbados with his servants in 1680
  • William Hallam, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Hallam (post 1700) +

  • Henry Hallam (1777-1859), English historian, born at Windsor on 9 July 1777, the only son of John Hallam, Canon of Windsor (1775–1812) and Dean of Bristol (1781–1800) [17]
  • Norman Henry Hallam (b. 1920), English footballer who played from 1946 to 1954
  • John "Jack" Hallam (1869-1949), English professional footballer who played from 1888 to 1889, member of the Wales National Team in 1889
  • John Hallam DD (d. 1811), English prelate, Canon of Windsor from 1775 to 1811
  • Arthur Henry Hallam (1811-1833), English poet, son of Henry Hallam, best known as the subject of a major work, In Memoriam A.H.H. by his best friend Alfred Tennyson
  • Albert William Hallam (1869-1940), English cricketer, best remembered for his win in the County Championship of 1907
  • Tracey Jayne Hallam (b. 1975), English Olympic badminton player at the 2004 Summer Olympics
  • Mr. Robert Hallam, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1583 to 1584
  • Mr. Mathew Hallam, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1556 to 1557
  • Ms. Elizabeth Hallam B.E.M., British Officer for Border Force at Home Office, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to Border Security [18]
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • Joseph Hallam (d. 1945), British Colour Sergeant aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking [19]
HMS Prince of Wales
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Ernest Hallam, English 2nd Class Cabin Bed Steward from Seacombe, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [21]


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  9. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  14. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The EMILY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Emily.htm
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  17. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  18. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  19. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  20. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  21. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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