| ![Show Contents]() Bernins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of BerninsWhat does the name Bernins mean? The present generation of the Bernins family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from 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 Bernins familyThe surname Bernins 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 Bernins familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernins research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Bernins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bernins Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bernins include Burnham, Burnam and others. Early Notables of the Bernins familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bernins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bernins familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bernins were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: 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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