Mecham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Mecham is generally thought to be a local surname, derived from the place name Mitcham, County Surrey (today in the London Borough of Merton, London).

Early Origins of the Mecham family

The surname Mecham was first found in Surrey at Mitcham, a parish in the union of Croydon, Second division of the hundred of Wallington. "This parish, which is situated on the road to Reigate, is divided into Upper Mitcham, formerly called Whitford or Waterford, and Lower Mitcham, anciently Michelham, or "the great dwelling," a name probably derived from the district having been at an early period the residence of persons of distinction." 1

Early History of the Mecham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mecham research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1190 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Mecham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mecham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mitcham, Mitchum, Micham, Michum, Mitchem, Mitchim and many more.

Early Notables of the Mecham family

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

Mecham Ranking

In the United States, the name Mecham is the 6,853^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Mecham family to Ireland

Some of the Mecham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mecham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mecham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, Barbary, Isaac, Jeremiah, and William Mecham, who all arrived at New York, from Ireland in 1817
Barbary Mecham, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
James Mecham, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
William Mecham, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 3

Mecham migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Mecham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Mecham, who settled in Barbados or St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
William Mecham, aged 20, who landed in Barbados in 1635 3
Mr. William Mecham, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Mecham (post 1700) +

Leonidas Ralph Mecham (b. 1928), the former American Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts
Glenn J. Mecham (b. 1936), American politician, Mayor of Ogden, Utah; Elected 1991 6
Evan Mecham (1924-2008), American Republican politician, Candidate for Arizona State House of Representatives, 1952; Member of Arizona State Senate, 1960-62; Governor of Arizona, 1987-88; Defeated, 1964, 1974, 1978, 1982 6
Evan Mecham (1924-2008), American politician, Governor of Arizona, and veteran of World War II
George Mecham, British naval officer who participated in the search for Franklin's lost expedition
William Mecham (1853-1902), British cartoonist and performer

The Mecham Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animi fortitudo
Motto Translation: The courage

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html