The history of the Burkenhead family goes back to the ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living near a birch-covered headland. The surname Burkenhead is derived from the Old English words
bierce, meaning birch, and
heafod, meaning head.
Early Origins of the Burkenhead family
The surname Burkenhead was first found in
Cheshire, at Birkenhead, a rising sea-port, market-town, and township, in the union, and Lower division of the
hundred, of Wirrall. Another branch of the family was found at Backford, a parish, in the union of Great Boughton, partly in the Higher division of the
hundred of Wirrall, and partly in the Lower division of the hundred of Broxton. "During a great part of the 13th and 14th centuries, the manor was held by the Masseys, of Timperley; about the year 1580 it was sold to Thomas Aldersey, by whom it was soon afterwards alienated to the Birkenheads, who resided at Backford Hall until the family became extinct in the male line in 1724."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Burkenhead family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burkenhead research.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1400, 1560, 1590, 1571, 1572, 1553, 1614, 1608, 1614, 1617, 1696, 1616 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Burkenhead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Burkenhead 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 Burkenhead include Birkenhead, Birkehead, Birkenheed, Birkenhedd, Birkead, Birkinhead and many more.
Early Notables of the Burkenhead family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Martin Birkhead (died 1590), an English politician from Wakefield, West
Yorkshire, Member of the Parliament for Ripon in 1571 and 1572; George Birkhead or Birket, alias Hall, Lambton, and Salvin (c.1553-1614), an English Roman Catholic priest from County
Durham who served as the...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burkenhead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Burkenhead family to the New World and Oceana
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 Burkenhead or a variant listed above: Francis Birkenhedd who settled in Barbados in 1635; William Birkenhead settled in Virginia in 1653; Joseph Birkhead settled in Philadelphia in 1860; George Birkinhead settled in North Carolina in 1701.