| ![Show Contents]() Bernam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of BernamWhat does the name Bernam mean? The name Bernam first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in any of the various places called Burnham in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, or Suffolk. These place names derive from the Old English words burna or stream, and ham, or homestead. 1 2 3 "This place, which gives name to the hundred, is of very remote antiquity. It appears to have been the residence of the kings of Mercia during the heptarchy, and also of their successors of the Norman line after the Conquest, who had a palace near Cippenham, from which is dated the charter granted to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, who, in 1165, founded an abbey here for nuns of the order of St. Augustine." 4 Early Origins of the Bernam familyThe surname Bernam was first found in Norfolk where Geoffrey de Burnham was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1193. Later in Oxfordshire, Roger de Burnham was recorded in the Feet of Fines for 1262 and later again, Thomas Burnham was recorded in Nottinghamshire in 1464. 5 Early History of the Bernam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernam research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Bernam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bernam Spelling VariationsOne 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 Bernam has appeared include Burnham, Burnam and others. Early Notables of the Bernam familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bernam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bernam familyAt 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 Bernam arrived in North America very early: Thomas Burnham, who came to Barbados in 1635; William Burnham, who arrived at St. Christopher in 1635; John Burnham, who arrived in Virginia in 1643; Thomas Burnham who settled in Hartford, Conn. in 1649, beginning a distinguished line in America.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- 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)
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