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The name Hanum arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hanum family lived in Hanham, Gloucestershire, a hamlet, in the parish of Bitton, union of Keynsham, Upper division of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead. 1
The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first recorded as Hunun. 2
Ancient records reveal the name Hanum is derived from the Old English roots han, which means rock, and ham, which means village or settlement, collectively meaning "place at the rocks." 3
However, another source notes a different meaning: "at the High Enclosure [Old English heán, dat. of heáh, high; ham(m, enclosure, piece of land] Hanham is on high ground." 4
The surname Hanum was first found in Gloucestershire. Conjecturally, they are descended from Hunbald who held the lands of Hanham, now a suburb of Bristol, from Arnulf de Hesdin at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 A.D.
However, it was not until the 12th century when the first person of the name was officially recorded, that being of Peter de Hanham, Lord of the Manor of Hanham. 5
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include Thomas de Hanam, Somerset. 6 Again in Somerset, Roger de Hanam was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7
The Subsidy Rolls of Somerset included Rober de Hanam in 1327 and much later, John Hanham was listed in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1437-1438. 8
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hanum research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1554, 1559, 1589, 1594, 1654, 1656, 1667, 1795 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hanum 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 Hanham, Hannam, Haname, Hannan, Hannem, Hanhams, Hannams, Hanam, Hanams, Hannum and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Hannam or Hammond (died 1559), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Poole in 1547 and Melcombe Regis in November 1554.
Richard Hannam (d. 1656), was a robber and son of a shoemaker of Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire. "He was apprenticed to a silk weaver in London, but left to become a tapster, and finally joined a gang of thieves. He engaged in burglary unaccompanied by violence, and speedily gained great notoriety. Early in his career he was apprehended for a robbery of plate from the Earl of Pembroke, but escaped and left the country...
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hanum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 50 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 Hanum or a variant listed above were: Thomas Hanham who settled in Virginia in 1608; twelve years before the "Mayflower"; another Thomas settled in Virginia in 1773; John Hanam arrived in San Francisco, Cal. in 1850. In Newfoundland, James Hanham settled in Hants Harbour in 1829.