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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The history of the Birkewood family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living near a stand of birch trees. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word birce, meaning birch.
The surname Birkewood was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birkewood research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1177, 1332, 1342, 1349, 1369, 1608 and 1616 are included under the topic Early Birkewood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Birkewood include Birchwood, Berchwood, Birchwoode, Birchwude, Birchewode and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Birkewood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Birkewood or a variant listed above: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.