Dalham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Dalham comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a person or family of German heritage. Further research showed the name was derived from the Anglo-Norman-French word aleman, which means German. 1

Early Origins of the Dalham family

The surname Dalham was first found in Allemagne, 2 now known as Fleury-sur-Orne, near Caen in Normandy. There is no clear record of the family arriving in Britain but their voyage is of no doubt.

Some of the first records of the name include listings in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Terric le Alemaund in Buckinghamshire; Henry de Alemania in Nottinghamshire; Bertram de Almannia in Lincolnshire and Robert Almene in Cambridgeshire. 3 John le Alemaund was listed in London in 1284. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus Alman. 3

Early History of the Dalham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dalham research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1304, 1407, 1440, 1602, 1605, 1613, 1624, 1627, 1634, 1635, 1665, 1672, 1673, 1686, 1687, 1800 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Dalham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dalham 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 Almayne, Alman, Allman, Almand, Hallman, Allmaine, Almon, Almand, Altman, Allman, Ellman, Dalman and many more.

Early Notables of the Dalham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Dallam (spelt also Dalham, Dallum, and Dallans), the name of a family of English organ-builders in the 17th century. The eldest was employed in 1605-6 to build an organ for King's College, Cambridge...

Migration of the Dalham family to Ireland

Some of the Dalham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dalham family

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 Dalham or a variant listed above: John Allman who settled in Philadelphia in 1764; Simon Alman in 1709; Stephen Almand in 1749; H. Almand in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1820.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)