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Helm History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Helm History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The name Helm is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a herdsman. The surname Helm is derived from the Old English word helm, which means a covering. In some later dialects, this word took on the which means of a roofed shelter for cattle. Occupational names such as Helm frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames.

Early Origins of the Helm family

The surname Helm was first found in Surrey 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 Helm family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Helm research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1180 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Helm History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helm Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Helm family name include Helme, Helm, Helms and others.

Early Notables of the Helm family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Helm of Berkshire

Helm Ranking

In the United States, the name Helm is the 2,326^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1

Helm migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Helm or a variant listed above:

Helm Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Israel Helm, who arrived in Delaware in 1693 2

Helm Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Michael Helm, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Peter Helm, his wife, and six sons and one daughter who arrived in 1709 in New England
Simon Helm, who arrived in New York, NY in 1709 2
Willem Helm, who arrived in America in 1730 2
Joh Adam Helm, who landed in America in 1750-1753 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Helm Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Anthony Helm, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Adam Helm, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1830 2
Adam Helm, who emigrated from Hessia to Baltimore with his wife and five children in 1830
David Helm, aged 45, who arrived in America in 1839 2
Michael Helm, aged 48, who arrived in America in 1839 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Helm migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Helm Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Helm, aged 44, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1855
Elizabeth Helm, aged 17, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1855
Friedrich Helm, aged 25, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1855
Jacob Helm, aged 11, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1855
Jacob Helm, aged 46, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1855
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Helm 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:

Helm Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Helm, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 3
Mr. George Helm, (b. 1830), aged 33, British farm labourer travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mrs. Isabella Helm, (b. 1830), aged 33, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Miss Janet Helm, (b. 1844), aged 19, British domestic servant travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mr. William Helm, (b. 1854), aged 9, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Helm (post 1700) +

Lorin Edwin Helm (1920-1945), American football coach
W. Stuart Helm (1908-1986), American former politician, 126th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1957-1958)
Susan C. Helm (b. 1943), American politician, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2007-)
Benjamin Hardin Helm (1831-1863), American politician, attorney, Confederate brigadier general, and a brother-in-law of Abraham Lincoln
John LaRue Helm (1802-1867), American politician, the 18th and 24th Governor of Kentucky in 1867 and (1850-1851)
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (1940-2012), American three-time Grammy Award winning rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequently lead and backing vocalist for The Band, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2012)
Rear Admiral James Meredith Helm (1855-1927), American naval officer, eponym of the USS Helm (DD-388)
Thomas Richard "Tom" Helm (b. 1941), English-born, former Australian politician, Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Thomas George "Tom" Helm (b. 1994), English cricketer who plays for Middlesex County Cricket Club
Anne Helm (b. 1938), Canadian Laurel Award nominated actress, known for her work on General Hospital (1963), Follow That Dream (1962) and The Magic Sword (1962)
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Helm family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Merritt Cameron Helm, American Seaman First Class from Minnesota, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 4

Citations +

"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html