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Bonham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Bonham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Bonham surname is derived from the Old French words "bon" and "homme," in turn from the Latin "bonus homo" both of which literally meant "good man," but also came to mean a "peasant farmer."

Early Origins of the Bonham family

The surname Bonham was first found in Wiltshire at Bonham, a hamlet now in the parish of Stourton with Gasper. "Bonham, though placed in the Ordo, and even in some ancient documents, as in Somersetshire, is really in Wilts. The small manor and tything of Bonham had formerly belonged to a family of that name (Editha Bonham, elected abbess of Shaftesbury 15th November, 1441, obiit 20th April, 1460), and afterwards came into the possession of the Stourtons." 1

Early History of the Bonham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonham research. Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1247, 1273, 1327, 1500, 1545, 1549, 1550, 1597, 1611 and 1629 are included under the topic Early Bonham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonham Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bonham has been recorded under many different variations, including Bonham, Bonhume, Bonhomme, Bonhom, Bonhome, Bonum, Bonem and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonham family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir John Bonham, English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Chippenham in 1545, High Sheriff of Wiltshire from 1549 to 1550
Thomas Bonham (d. 1629), English physician, educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.D., in which degree he was incorporated at Oxford on 9 July 1611. 2

Bonham Ranking

In the United States, the name Bonham is the 5,207^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Bonham migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bonham or a variant listed above:

Bonham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Bonham, aged 31, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Phillip" 4

Bonham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Bonham, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1704 4

Bonham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Bonham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
David Bonham, who was on record in Philadelphia in 1872

Bonham migration to Australia +

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

Bonham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Bonham, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Thomas Bonham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lalla Rookh" in 1840 6
Abel Bonham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 7
Ezra Bonham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 7
David Bonham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonham (post 1700) +

Vincent Bonham (1957-2024), American singer
Ronald D. Bonham (1942-2016), American professional basketball player who played from the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers from 1964 to 1968
James Butler Bonham (1807-1836), American soldier who died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution, older brother of Milledge Luke Bonham
William Gordon "Bill" Bonham (b. 1948), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1971 to 1980
Tracy Bonham (b. 1969), American musician, best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother"
Milledge Luke Bonham (1813-1890), American politician, Governor of South Carolina (1862-1864), and a Confederate general during the American Civil War
Reginald Walter Bonham (1906-1984), English blind chess player, founder of the International Braille Chess Association in 1951, Blind World Chess Champion in 1958
Jack Elliott Bonham (b. 1993), English professional footballer
Henry Bonham (1765-1830), English politician, Member of Parliament for Leominster (1806-1812), for Sandwick (1824-1826) and for Rye (1826-1830)
Henry Bonham (1749-1800), English cricketer who played played one game for Hampshire
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bonham family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Henry George Welfare Bonham (1913-1941), Australian Engine Room Artificer 4th Class from Penshurst, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LALA ROOKH 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840LallaRookh.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.htm
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp