Show ContentsBurham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Burham is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in any of the various places called Burnham in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, or Suffolk. These place names derive from the Old English words burna or stream, and ham, or homestead.

Early Origins of the Burham family

The surname Burham was first found in Herefordshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Burham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burham research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Burham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burham Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Burham were recorded, including Burnham, Burnam and others.

Early Notables of the Burham family

More information is included under the topic Early Burham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Burham migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Burham family emigrate to North America:

Burham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Susan Burham, who landed in Virginia in 1658 1
Burham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H Burham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 1


  1. 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)


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