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Buckingham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Buckingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Buckingham surname lived in the parish of Buckingham in Oxfordshire. "This place is of great antiquity, and is supposed to have derived its name from the Saxon Bucca, a 'stag' or 'buck,' ing, a 'meadow,' and ham, a 'village;' being surrounded with extensive forests well stocked with deer. In 915, Edward the Elder fortified both sides of the river, where the town is situated, with high ramparts of earth, to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of the Danes; the remains are still visible. In 941, the Danes perpetrated dreadful outrages in the neighbourhood, and in 1010 took possession of the town as a place of safety. In the reign of Edward III., Buckingham sent three representatives to a council of trade held at Westminster. " 1

Early Origins of the Buckingham family

The surname Buckingham was first found in Oxfordshire where the first record of the family was listing in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: John de Bukingham. 2

"The Buckinghams are well represented in the South Molton district. There was an old Exeter family of Buckenham, members of which three times filled the office of mayor in the reign of Henry VIII." 3

The Buckenham or Bokenham variants could have originated in either Old Buckenham or New Buckenham, parishes in the union of Guiltcross, hundred of Shropham, Norfolk. In this latter case, "this place owes its origin to William D'Albini, Earl of Chichester, who, disliking the situation of a castle which had been built at Old Buckenham about the time of the Conquest, demolished that structure, and erected another here, in the reign of Henry II." 1

Osbern Bokenham or Bokenam (1383-1447?), was an early poet in the Suffolk dialect, born, according to his own statement, on 6 Oct. 1393. His birthplace was near 'an old pryory of blake canons,' which may be identified with Bokenham - the modern Old Buckenham, Norfolk, famous at one time for its Augustinian priory. " 4

John Bokyngham or Buckingham (d. 1398), was Bishop of Lincoln, Rector of Olney, Prebendary of Lichfield, and dean in 1349. "He was appointed to the archdeaconry of Northampton in 1361, and in 1352 received from the king the prebend of Gretton in the church of Lincoln. He was keeper of the privy seal to Edward III. " 4

Early History of the Buckingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buckingham research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1524, 1530, 1531, 1648, 1649, 1701, 1702, 1704, 1705, 1713, 1773, 1786, 1825, 1855 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Buckingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buckingham Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Buckingham are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Buckingham include: Buckingham, Buckinghame, Beckingham, Beckinhame, Buckinham, Bukingham, Buckenham, Bockingham and many more.

Early Notables of the Buckingham family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir Owen Buckingham (c.1649-1713), was an English merchant, alderman, MP and Lord Mayor of London (1704-1705); James Silk Buckingham (1786-1855), an English author and traveler; and his son, Leicester...

Buckingham Ranking

In the United States, the name Buckingham is the 4,272^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Buckingham migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Buckingham or a variant listed above:

Buckingham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Buckingham, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1637 6
Thomas Buckingham, who settled in Milford, Connecticut, in 1639
Edward Buckingham, who landed in Virginia in 1650 6
Edward Buckingham, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 6
Peter Buckingham, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buckingham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Buckingham, who settled in Virginia in 1726
William Buckingham, who landed in America in 1760-1763 6

Buckingham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Buckingham, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
Mr. John Buckingham, (b. 1867), aged 22, Cornish carpenter departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving in New York, USA on 22 April 1889 7
Mr. Charles Buckingham, (b. 1896), aged 1 month, Cornish settler, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th May 1896 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 8
Mrs. Buckingham, (b. 1872), aged 24, Cornish settler, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th May 1896 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 8

Buckingham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Buckingham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Buckingham was Magistrate for Conception Bay, Newfoundland in 1817 9

Buckingham migration to Australia +

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

Buckingham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Buckingham, (b. 1812), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Buckingham, (b. 1818), aged 19, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 3rd January 1837, sentenced for 7 years for stealing a silver watch, transported aboard the ship "James Pattison" on 10th July 1837 to New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Stephen Buckingham, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Thomas Buckingham, Cornish shoemaker who immigrated to New South Wales, Australia aboard the ship "J Patterson" in 1837 convicted at Sydney Gaol on 13th July 1841 13
Thomas Buckingham, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buckingham 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:

Buckingham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Buckingham, (b. 1833), aged 26, English general labourer from Oxfordshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th May 1859 15
Mrs. Harriet Buckingham née Edmonds, (b. 1839), aged 20, English settler from Oxfordshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th May 1859 15
Alfred Buckingham, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
W. Buckingham, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
Mr. Buckingham, American settler travelling from San Francisco aboard the ship "Dakota" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 11th January 1873 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Buckingham (post 1700) +

Edgar Buckingham (1867-1940), American physicist best known for his was known for his Buckingham theorem
Lindsay Buckingham (b. 1949), American rock musician and member of Fleetwood Mac
H. C. Buckingham, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from New Milford; Elected 1926 17
George W. Buckingham (1839-1901), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1896; Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1899 17
George Tracy Buckingham (1864-1940), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1908 17
George H. Buckingham, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Roxbury, 1906 17
Florence Buckingham, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 1932 17
Ellzy Van Buren Buckingham (1839-1922), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Huron County, 1897 17
Edward Taylor Buckingham (b. 1874), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1909-11, 1929-33; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 4th District, 1934 17
Earle Buckingham (1829-1888), American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 16th District, 1867 17
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Buckingham family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Clarence Frederick Parett Buckingham (1913-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Ledderville, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 18

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_gaol_admissions.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp