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The name Alham comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a person or family of German heritage. Further research showed the name was derived from the Anglo-Norman-French word aleman, which means German. 1
The surname Alham was first found in Allemagne, 2 now known as Fleury-sur-Orne, near Caen in Normandy. There is no clear record of the family arriving in Britain but their voyage is of no doubt.
Some of the first records of the name include listings in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Terric le Alemaund in Buckinghamshire; Henry de Alemania in Nottinghamshire; Bertram de Almannia in Lincolnshire and Robert Almene in Cambridgeshire. 3 John le Alemaund was listed in London in 1284. 4
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus Alman. 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alham research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1304, 1407, 1440, 1602, 1605, 1613, 1624, 1627, 1634, 1635, 1665, 1672, 1673, 1686, 1687, 1800 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Alham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Almayne, Alman, Allman, Almand, Hallman, Allmaine, Almon, Almand, Altman, Allman, Ellman, Dalman and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Alham or a variant listed above were: John Allman who settled in Philadelphia in 1764; Simon Alman in 1709; Stephen Almand in 1749; H. Almand in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1820.