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![Show Contents]() Attingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The surname Attingham was derived from the Old English expression meaning "homestead of the family or followers of a man called Anta" 1 Early Origins of the Attingham familyThe surname Attingham was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat in the village of Antingham in that shire. The village is so named from the River Ant which has as its source Antingham Common. Prior to the Norman Conquest, in Saxon times, the village was named Attinga, Antigeham, and later Antingham. 2 At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book by William the Conqueror in 1086 the Manor of Antingham was held by Turstin FitzGuy, under tenant, from Chief tenant Roger Bigod, originally of Chanon Maletot, near Caen in Normandy, whose successors Hugh, and Roger Bigod his son, Earl of Norfolk, would be two of the 25 Barons who signed the Magna Charta in 1215. Robert Bigot, father of Roger, chief tenant, married the sister of Turstin Goz in Normandy, and the similarity of the two names cannot escape attention. Roger Bigod married Adeliza Grantemesnil and had seven children. He died in 1107 and is buried in Thetford Abbey in Norfolk. There is no record of Thurston FitzGuy being at the Conquest, nor did the name FitzGuy survive as a viable family name. It was customary, when the Normans introduced surnames into England in 1066, that the junior sons of the Baron would adopt the surname of the location where they held a family seat, so as to distinguish son from father. Turstin FitzGuy was under-tenant and seated at Antingham Manor. Conjecturally, the Antingham family surname is descended from this Norman noble, Turstin FitzGuy, who may have been the grandson, nephew or natural son of Roger Bigod, favorite of Duke William, who sired the Dukes of Norfolk. Early History of the Attingham familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Attingham research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1414 and 1468 are included under the topic Early Attingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Attingham Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Attingham are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Attingham include Antingham, Antlingham, Attingham, Antringham, Anthingham, Antygham and many more. Early Notables of the Attingham familyMore information is included under the topic Early Attingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Attingham familyFaced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Attingham, or a variant listed above: Willm Antingham, who settled in North America in 1836; James Antrim, who arrived in New Jersey in 1678; John Antrim, who arrived in New Jersey in 1682.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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