Baugham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Wales

Etymology of Baugham

The birthplace of the name Baugham was in the rugged hills and Moors of Wales. The name started out as a nickname for a small or short man, derived from the Welsh word "bach," which means "little."

Early Origins of the Baugham family

Early History of the Baugham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baugham research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1450, 1545, 1600, 1612, 1615 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Baugham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baugham Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Baugham have included Baugh, Bach, Bagh, Bawgh, Baughe, Bawghe and others.

Early Notables of the Baugham family

Geoffrey Bagh, a prominent 15th century landholder in Shropshire. William Baffin (d. 1622), was an English navigator and discoverer, most probably a native of London, but nothing is known of his early life. "The earliest mention of him is in 1612, as pilot of the Patience, fitted out at Hull by James Hall, for a voyage of discovery to Greenland. Amongst early navigators Baffin takes a high place as one of the first who endeavoured to determine longitude at sea by astronomical observations. In his first recorded voyage to Greenland (8 July 1612)he describes his attempt to determine the longitude by observing...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baugham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baugham family

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Baugham were found: Thomas Baugh, who sailed to Virginia in 1619. John Baugh journeyed to Barbados in 1671; Jonathan Baugh arrived in Virginia in 1729; Peter Baugh sailed to Philadelphia in 1832.