Show ContentsBeddinman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Beddinman

What does the name Beddinman mean?

The Beddinman name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in either of the places called Bodenham, in Herefordshire and Wiltshire, or in the settlement of Bodham, in Norfolk. The place-names are derived from the Old English personal name Bota, which experts theorize is derived from the Old German boto, from the Germanic root bud, which means to announce, and the Old English word ham which means homestead or settlement. Thus, the surname signifies a person who lived at or near Bota's settlement.

Early Origins of the Beddinman family

The surname Beddinman was first found in Herefordshire at Bodenham, a parish, and anciently a market-town, in the union of Leominster, hundred of Broxash 1 situated on a bend in the River Lugg, about seven miles south of Leominster. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Bodeham 2 and literally meant "homestead or river-bend of land or a man called Boda," from the Old English personal name + "hamm." 3

Hugh de Bodenham, Lord of Bodenham, grandfather of Roger who lived in the reign of Henry III is the ancestor of the family. 4

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spelling in use over the centuries. Robert de Bedingham was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Norfolk in 1206; William de Bedyngeham was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Richard Bedyngham was recorded in 1461. 5

Early History of the Beddinman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beddinman research. Another 236 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1206, 1273, 1296, 1401, 1403, 1409, 1461, 1525, 1559 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Beddinman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beddinman Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Beddinman has undergone many spelling variations, including Bedingham, Beddingham, Bedinham, Bodingham, Bedyngham, Bedyngeham and many more.

Early Notables of the Beddinman family

Distinguished members of the family include John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire (1401-1403); John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1409; John Bodenham (c. 1559-1610), an anthologist and...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beddinman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beddinman family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Beddinman were among those contributors: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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