Kellam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Kellam is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Kellam family lived at Kelham in Nottinghamshire, a parish northwest of Newark. The name Kellam is derived from the Old Norse expression for at the ridges. It is most commonly found in Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

Early Origins of the Kellam family

The surname Kellam was first found in Nottinghamshire. "A Norman family, who derive their name from Kelham, near Newark-upon-Trent, co. Nottingham, where they were seated at an early period. They still bear in their arms three covered cups, in allusion to the office of cup-bearer to Alan, earl of Richmond, the Conqueror's son-in-law, which was held by their ancestor. " 1

This was the place that Charles I. spent his last night before he gave himself up to the Scottish army, who encamped on the spot in May, 1646. 2

Early History of the Kellam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kellam research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kellam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kellam 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 Kellam, Kelham and others.

Early Notables of the Kellam family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Kellam of Nottingham

Kellam Ranking

In the United States, the name Kellam is the 7,016^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Kellam 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 Kellam or a variant listed above:

Kellam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Kellam, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 4

Kellam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Kellam, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1840
B J Kellam, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Kellam (post 1700) +

Murray Kellam, American jurist appointed as a judge the Supreme Court of Victoria
Alphonso George Kellam (1837-1909), American officer in the American Civil War, a lawyer, a politician, one of the original justices of the South Dakota Supreme Court
Richard Boykin Kellam (1909-1996), United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Phillip Kellam (b. 1956), American politician, Commissioner of the Revenue for Virginia Beach
Salley Kellam, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972 5
Robert Kellam Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980 5
Leroy B. Kellam (1919-1995), American politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court, 1982-88 5
James Goffigan Kellam (b. 1905), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1940, 1948, 1956 5
Elmer J. Kellam, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1943-52 5
Alphonso G. Kellam, American Republican politician, Judge of South Dakota State Supreme Court 2nd District, 1889-96; Resigned 1896 5
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Kellam Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Beneficiorum memor
Motto Translation: Mindful of benefits.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html