Show ContentsSalom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Salom comes from the baptismal name Soloman, which was an ancient personal name. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. The surname Salom also has origins as a nickname for a man who was considered to be wise or fortunate.

Early Origins of the Salom family

The surname Salom was first found in Surrey where they were Lords of the manor of Caterham from ancient times. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Selham, a small village in the Chichester district of West Sussex. The village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Seleham and literally meant "homestead by a copse of sallow-trees." 1

A scan of early rolls revealed Ailricius Seliman in the Pipe Rolls for 1169 for Northumberland, Thomas Selman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 for Wiltshire, John Seliman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 for Cambridgeshire, Robert Salyman in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327 and Claricia Selimaon and Henry Selmon in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcester for 1327. 2

Early History of the Salom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Salom research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1303, 1371, 1390, 1411, 1414, 1426, 1435, 1468, 1541 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Salom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salom Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Salom has appeared include Saleman, Salman, Selman, Selyman, Seleman and others.

Early Notables of the Salom family

Notables of the family at this time include John Selman (died 1426), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1390-1411); and John Selman (fl.1414-1435), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1414-1435.)Thomas Soulemont, Soleman or...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Salom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Salom migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Salom arrived in North America very early:

Salom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • I Salom, aged 28, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1826 3

Australia Salom migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Salom Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Mark Salom, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

West Indies Salom 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. 5
Salom Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • David Salom, who landed in Jamaica in 1740 3
  • Esther Salom, who landed in Jamaica in 1745 3


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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