Show ContentsSydenham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Sydenham name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the parish of Sydenham found in the counties of Devon, Oxfordshire and Somerset. These place-names were derived from the Old English terms sid meaning wide and hamm meaning water meadow. Sydenham is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape or area were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sydenham were named due to their close proximity to the wide water meadow.

Early Origins of the Sydenham family

The surname Sydenham was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of Sydenham 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 Sydenham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sydenham research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1224, 1418, 1429, 1431, 1438, 1615, 1620, 1624, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1654, 1661, 1669, 1671, 1676, 1679, 1689, 1696 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Sydenham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sydenham Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Sydenham include Sydenham, Sidenham, Sydenhame, Sidenhame and others.

Early Notables of the Sydenham family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Simon Sydenham (died 1438), medieval Dean of Salisbury (1418-1431) and Bishop of Chichester (1429-1438)
  • Sir John Sydenham, 1st Baronet of Brimpton, Somerset (c. 1620-1643)
  • Sir John Sydenham, 2nd Baronet of Brimpton (1643-1696) Member of Parliament for Somerset (1669-1679)
  • Sir Philip Sydenham, 3rd Baronet of Brimpton (c. 1676-1739) Member of Parliament for Ilchester
  • Sir Ralph Sydenham (died 1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1641 to 1642, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War
  • Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689), English physician, considered a founder of modern clinical medicine
  • Sir John Sydenham, 2nd Baronet (1643-1696), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Somerset (1669-1679)


United States Sydenham migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Sydenham or a variant listed above:

Sydenham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Sydenham, a servant sent to Virginia in 1674
  • Mary Sydenham, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682
Sydenham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Eliza Sydenham, who landed in Virginia in 1702 [1]
  • John Sydenham, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1749
Sydenham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J. Sydenham and his wife, who settled inSan Francisco, California in 1850
  • Thomas J Sydenham, aged 25, who landed in America from London, in 1897
Sydenham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Frank Sydenham, aged 25, who landed in America from Cardiff, in 1906
  • Albert Thomas Sydenham, aged 24, who landed in America from London, in 1907
  • George M. Sydenham, aged 45, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1908
  • Mrs A. Sydenham, aged 40, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1908
  • Claude Stanley Sydenham, aged 34, who landed in America from London, England, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Sydenham migration to Australia +

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

Sydenham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Sydenham, (b. 1802), aged 19, English whitesmith who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]
  • Mr. Edward Sydenham, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]
  • George Sydenham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 [4]
  • Jesse Sydenham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 [4]

New Zealand Sydenham 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:

Sydenham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sydenham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Norman Morrison" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in 1854 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Sydenham (post 1700) +

  • John Sydenham (1807-1846), English antiquary, editor of the Dorset County Chronicle (1829)
  • Floyer Sydenham (1710-1787), English scholar of Ancient Greek, Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford
  • David Alfred Donald Sydenham (b. 1934), former English first class cricketer
  • John Sydenham (b. 1939), former English footballer
  • Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689), English physician, generally known as the Father of English medicine
  • Jerome Sydenham (b. 1967), Nigerian-born, electronic music producer


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MORLEY 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Morley.htm
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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