| ![Show Contents]() Burhan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of BurhanWhat does the name Burhan mean? Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Burhan is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family 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 Burhan familyThe surname Burhan 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 Burhan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burhan research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Burhan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Burhan Spelling VariationsThe first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Burhan has been spelled many different ways, including Burnham, Burnam and others. Early Notables of the Burhan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Burhan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Burhan familyThousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Burhans to arrive in North America: 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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