Wortham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wortham family

The surname Wortham was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Wortham from ancient times. [1]

Wortham is also a village and parish in Suffolk which dates back to Edward the Confessor. Worsham is a hamlet in Oxfordshire which dates back hundreds of years. Worthen is a village in Shropshire. "In this and the neighbouring parishes is a very singular ridge of stones termed Stiperstones, extending several miles towards Shrewsbury, and said to be the ancient boundary between England and Wales. " [2]

The place names are derived from the "residence at an enclosure or homestead, Old English worþign, a term particularly common in the West Midlands." [1]

Early rolls included entries for Richard de Worthin in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274; Richard atte Wonhyne in Worcestershire in 1316; and William atte Wurthen who lived at Wortham, Devon in 1330. [1]

Early History of the Wortham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wortham research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wortham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wortham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wortham, Worthem and others.

Early Notables of the Wortham family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Wortham of Wortham Manor

Wortham Ranking

In the United States, the name Wortham is the 4,562^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [3]

Wortham migration to Australia +

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

Wortham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Hugh Wortham, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Wortham (post 1700) +

John Lee Wortham (1862-1924), American member of the Railroad Commission of Texas in 1911, Secretary of State of the State of Texas in 1913, father of Gus Wortham
Barron Winfred Wortham (b. 1969), former American NFL football linebacker
Cornelius Wortham (b. 1982), American NFL football linebacker
Rich Wortham (b. 1953), American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1978 t 1983
Leah Wortham, Associate Professor of Law at the School of Law at The Catholic University of America
Gus Sessions Wortham (1891-1976), American businessman and educator, co-founder of the American General Insurance Company, eponym of numerous places in Houston, texas

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza