Burnam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Burnam

What does the name Burnam mean?

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Burnam surname 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 Burnam family

The surname Burnam 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 Burnam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burnam research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Burnam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnam Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Burnam are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Burnam include: Burnham, Burnam and others.

Early Notables of the Burnam family

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

Burnam Ranking

the United States, the name Burnam is the 17,852^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Burnam migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Burnam or a variant listed above:

Burnam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Burnam, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 7

Burnam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J. Burnam, who arrived in San Francisco in 1861

Contemporary Notables of the name Burnam (post 1700) +

Lon Maxwell Burnam (b. 1953), American politician, Texas State Representative for Texas House

Sources +

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)