Contents [hide]

Denham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Denham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Though hidden in the annals of history, the chronicles of Scotland reveal the early records of the Norman surname Denham which ranks as one of the oldest. The history of the name is interwoven within the colorful plaid of Scottish history and is an intrinsic part of the heritage of Scotland.

Early Origins of the Denham family

The surname Denham was first found in Denholm, a small village located between Jedburgh and Hawick in the Scottish Borders. 1

As early as the 16th century, the hamlet was named Denum and was frequently plundered and burnt during English raids of that time. There are three parishes named Denham in England where the local is derived from the Old English word "denu" + "ham" meaning "homestead or village in a valley." 2

In Buckinghamshire, Denham is today a village and civil parish in the union of Eton and comprises 3780 acres. It was listed as Deneham in 1066 and later as Daneham in the Domesday Book 3.

Denham, Suffolk is near Bury St Edmunds and was listed as Denham in 1086. There is another Denham in Suffolk which lies near Eye and in this latter case, it was spelt Denham in 1086. Conjecturally, the family was descended from W. Hurrant, a Norman noble, who was granted the lands of Denham by William the Conqueror, and erected Denham Castle, and today the earthworks of the moat and bailey still remain.

Early History of the Denham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denham research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1296, 1299, 1506, 1556, 1559, 1564, 1565, 1572, 1577, 1580, 1581, 1584, 1586, 1587, 1588, 1591, 1600, 1607, 1614, 1639, 1669, 1800 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Denham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Denham, Denholm, Denholme, Dennam and others.

Early Notables of the Denham family

Notable among the family at this time was

Henry Denham (fl. 1591), English printer who was presented as an apprentice with Richard Tottel, 14 Oct. 1556. "He was fined in 1564 for printing unlicensed primers, in 1565 and 1584 for using indecor...
Sir John Denham (1559-1639), was an English judge, a native of London. He entered Lincoln's Inn on 19 Aug. 1577, where he was called to the bar on 29 June 1587, and elected reader in Lent 1607. 4
Sir John Denham (1614-1669), was an English poet and courtier, the only son of Sir John Denham, the Irish judge. He served as Surveyor of the King's Works and is buried in Westminster Abbey. 4

Denham Ranking

In the United States, the name Denham is the 3,402^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Denham family to Ireland

Some of the Denham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Denham, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6
Walter Denham, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 6
Richard Denham, who settled in Virginia in 1670
Robert Denham, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 6

Denham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Denham, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1715-1721 6
James Denham, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 6
Joseph Denham, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 6
Reuben Denham, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 6

Denham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alex Denham, who landed in America in 1804 6
Ann Denham, who arrived in America in 1804 6
Alexander Denham, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
John D Denham, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Christopher Richard Denham, who landed in New York in 1836 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denham migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Denham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Mark Denham, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 7
Samuel Denham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Emma" in 1837 8
Ann Sophia Denham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Emma" in 1837 8
Mr. Adolphus Denham, (b. 1820), aged 22, English baker who was convicted in Wells, Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1853 9
Alfred Denham, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Denham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Denham, (b. 1836), aged 22, British carpenter travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 11
Mr. George Denham, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 12
Mr. James Denham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 14th October 1860 11
Mr. Allen H. Denham, (b. 1836), aged 34, British coach maker travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 11
Mrs. Caroline Denham, (b. 1840), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denham migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Denham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Charles Denham, who settled in Barbados in 1660
John Denham, who settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Denham (post 1700) +

Jeffrey Denham (b. 1967), American Republican politician serving in the California State Senate 14
Sir James Stewart Denham the Elder (1712-1780), Scottish political economist, born at Edinburgh on 21 Oct. 1712, only son of Sir James Stewart, bart 15
Sir James Stewart Denham the Younger (1744-1839), Scottish general, born in Scotland in August 1744, educated in Germany as his father fled there due to the Rebellion of 1745 15
Dixon Denham (1786-1828), English explorer in West Central Africa, born in London 1 Jan. 1786, educated at Merchant Taylors' School, where he was entered in 1793 15
Ms. Elizabeth Denham C.B.E., Canadian UK Information Commissioner at the Information Commissioner’s Office in Cheshire, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Protecting Information by Her Majesty the Queen 16
Jack Denham (1924-2009), leading Australian horse trainer and businessman
Admiral Sir Henry Mangles Denham CMG (1800-1887), British Navy Officer knighted for his hydrographical services
Digby Frank Denham (1859-1944), Australian politician / businessman Premier of Queensland from 1911 to 1915
Maurice Denham (1909-2002), English character actor
Denham Harman (1916-2014), American biogerontologist, Professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, known as the "father of the free radical theory of aging"

The Denham Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cura dat victoriam
Motto Translation: Caution gives victory.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY EMMA 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837LadyEmma.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists