Ketcham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Not surprisingly, the Ketcham surname is thought to have originally been an occupational name for a cook, deriving from the Old English word "cycen."

Early Origins of the Ketcham family

The surname Ketcham was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Early rolls revealed Henry atte Kychene c. 1300 and Richard del Kechin. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Johannes del Kechyn; Johannes del Kuchyn; and Thomas del Kichyn. 1

Early History of the Ketcham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ketcham research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1477 and 1563 are included under the topic Early Ketcham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ketcham Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Ketcham occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Kitchen, Ketchin, Kitching, Kitchiner, Kitchener and others.

Early Notables of the Ketcham family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ketcham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ketcham Ranking

In the United States, the name Ketcham is the 6,538^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Ketcham family to Ireland

Some of the Ketcham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ketcham migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Ketcham, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Ketcham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Ketcham, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1635 3
John Ketcham, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1648 3

Ketcham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Ketcham, aged 43, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 3
Geo H. Ketcham, aged 37, who settled in America, in 1897

Ketcham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Archie Ketcham, aged 35, who settled in America from England, in 1902
E.M. Ketcham, who landed in America, in 1905
Adele Ketcham, who settled in America, in 1907
Charles B. Ketcham, who immigrated to America, in 1908
Frank D. Ketcham, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ketcham (post 1700) +

Henry King "Hank" Ketcham (1920-2001), American cartoonist from Seattle, Washington who created the Dennis the Menace comic strip; he received the Reuben Award for the strip in 1953
Robert T. Ketcham (1889-1978), American Baptist pastor, founder of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
John Ketcham (1782-1865), American self-taught surveyor, building contractor, and judge
John Clark Ketcham (1873-1941), American politician from Michigan
Jennifer "Jennie" Ketcham (b. 1983), American writer, reality television personality
Henry Holman "Hank" Ketcham (1891-1986), American first-team All-American football player for 1911, 1912 and 1913, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968
Dennis Lloyd Ketcham (b. 1946), American son to the cartoonist Hank Ketcham, inspiration for the comic strip
Henry B. Ketcham (b. 1865), American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 2nd District, 1900 4
Harvey Ketcham, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Vermont 1st District, 1904 4
George W. Ketcham, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1891-92; Member of New Jersey State Senate from Essex County, 1894-99 4
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html