Greenham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Greenham first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the chapelry of Greeham in the parish of Thatcham in the county of Berkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English Greenham, which refers to either a green river-bed or a green homestead. 1
Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Greenham, a tything, in the parish of Ashbrittle, union of Wellington, hundred of Milverton in Somerset. 2
Greenan Castle is a 16th century tower house, around 2.5 miles south-west of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland
Early Origins of the Greenham family
The surname Greenham was first found in Somerset, where Simon de Gryndham was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1268. 3
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph de Greneham, Suffolk and Ralph de Grenham was also listed in Suffolk, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III. 4
Early History of the Greenham family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greenham research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1535, 1559, 1564, 1567, 1594 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Greenham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Greenham 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 Greenham has appeared include Greenham, Greenam, Greenum and others.
Early Notables of the Greenham family
Notables of this surname at this time include:
- Ralph Greenham of Suffolk
Greenham Ranking
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Greenham is the 620th most popular surname with an estimated 72 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Greenham family to Ireland
Some of the Greenham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Greenham 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 Greenham arrived in North America very early:
Greenham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Richard Greenham who settled in New England in 1768
- Richard Greenham, who landed in America in 1768 6
Greenham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Joseph Greenham, aged 24, who landed in Ohio in 1812 6
- Mary Greenham, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 6
- Henry Greenham, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1854 6
Greenham 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:
Greenham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Wallace Greenham, aged 27, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
- Elizabeth Greenham, aged 29, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Contemporary Notables of the name Greenham (post 1700) +
- John Greenham, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Spezia, 1884 7
- Chris Greenham, Academy Award-winning English sound editor
- Richard Greenham (1535-1594), English clergyman of Puritan views
- Dave P. Greenham (b. 1889), Australian rules footballer
- Robert Greenham, Artist and Writer
- Peter Greenham (1909-1992), British Painter
Historic Events for the Greenham family +
- Mr. Samuel Albert Greenham (b. 1906), English Stoker 1st Class from Exeter, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 8
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html