Folsom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Folsom family has descended through the lines of the ancient Normans that came to England following their Conquest of England in 1066. The Folsom name reveals that an early member was a person who had a limp, or a malformed leg. The name was originally derived from the Old French fol, which means foolish, and jambe, which means leg. Such names are often attributed to people in jest. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nicknames often referred or alluded to a physical feature. Unfortunately, on some occasions the tradition emphasized a physical deformity or injury in a way that would be considered cruel today, however, at the time this practice was meant only to identify a person by a distinguishing characteristic.

Early Origins of the Folsom family

The surname Folsom was first found in Derbyshire where by the early 11th and 12th centuries the name was already well established in the Peak District and was one of the marauding families of the East Cheshire and Derbyshire forests which were controlled by Sir George Vernon, known as the 'King of the Peak'.

In the 13th century, Sir Thomas Foljambe was Bailiff of the High Peak. These Cheshire and Derbyshire families provided the core of Knights and fighting men for the wars in France during that time.

Sir Godfrey de Foljambe (1317-1376) was a prominent landowner and politician from Derbyshire, the fourth son of Sir Thomas de Foljambe. At that time, the family were Lords of the Manor of Tideswell and also held lands at Darley Dale. Godfrey rose to become an Irish judge and served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. His tomb can still be seen at All Saints Church, Bakewell.

Foulsham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Folsham and literally meant "farmstead of a man called Fugol" from the Old English personal name + ham. 1

The village gave its name to a family of Puritan dissidents who fled England to America to settle in Hingham, Massachusetts, where they frequently changed their name to Folsom.

Early History of the Folsom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Folsom research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1626, 1633 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Folsom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folsom Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Folsom has been recorded under many different variations, including Foljambe, Foljambes, Folgambe, Folgambes, Folyambe, Folyambes, Fuljame, Fuljames, Fulgambe, Fulgambes, Fulljames, Fullgames, Folljames, Foliambe, Fuliambe, Foliam, Fuliam, Foliams and many more.

Early Notables of the Folsom family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Folsom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Folsom Ranking

In the United States, the name Folsom is the 3,053^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Folsom migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Folsoms were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Folsom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Folsom, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1638 3
Mr. John Folsom, (Foulsham), British settler traveling aboard the ship "Dilligent" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 4
Mrs. Mary Folsom, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Dilligent" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 4
Mr. John Folsom, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Dilligent" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 4
Adam Folsom, who landed in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1639 3

Folsom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. Folsom, who landed in San Franeisco, California in 1860 3
B. Folsom, aged 31, who immigrated to America from London, in 1892
Emily Folsom, aged 30, who settled in America, in 1892
C. D. Folsom, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1893
Benj. Folsom, aged 40, who landed in America from London, in 1896

Folsom Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Agnes Folsom, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
Arte Folsom, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1905
Etheldred F. Folsom, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
Constance Folsom, aged 19, who settled in America, in 1905
E.F. Folsom, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Folsom (post 1700) +

Robert "Bob" Folsom (1927-2017), American politician, Mayor of Dallas, Texas (1976-1981)
Steve Folsom (b. 1958), American NFL football player
William Harrison Folsom (1815-1901), American architect and contractor
Marion B. Folsom (1893-1976), U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Nathaniel Folsom (1726-1790), American merchant and statesman
Joseph Libbey Folsom (1817-1855), U.S. Army officer and real estate investor, founder of Folsom California
Jonathan P. Folsom (1820-1893), American politician, 20th Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts
Jim Folsom Jr. (b. 1949), former American Democratic Governor of Alabama, Lieutenant Governor
Jim Folsom Sr. (1908-1987), American Democratic Governor of the Alabama
John David "J. D." Folsom (b. 1984), American NFL football linebacker
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm