Birlingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Birlingham

The ancestors of the bearers of the Birlingham family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Norfolk, where they took their name from the village of Burlingham. The place name Burlingham is a constructed of two elements, Burling and -ame. The first element, Burling, is believed to be derived from a diminutive form of an Old English given name, probably from Burgheard or Baerla, while the second element, -ame, is derived from ham, from the Old Norse hami, meaning homestead. The full name means "Burling's homestead".

Early Origins of the Birlingham family

Early History of the Birlingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birlingham research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Birlingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birlingham Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Birlingham include Burlingham, Byrlingham, Burlingame, Burlinghame, Burlyngham and many more.

Early Notables of the Birlingham family

More information is included under the topic Early Birlingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Birlingham family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Birlingham or a variant listed above: George Burlingham who arrived in Virginia in 1634; Deborah Burlingham, who settled in Maryland in 1669; as well as Ransler and Reuben Burlingham, who were naturalized in Upper Canada in 1830..