Contents [hide]

Ham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Ham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Ham. Hereditary surnames were adopted in this region after the 12th century, and surnames were derived from localities were common. Local surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. The Ham family originally lived near a river or lake. The names was originally derived from the High German ham, which meant lakeside or river side. In the early Middle Ages, this surname was frequently preceded by van dem or von, which translate as at the and emphasize the local origins of the surname. Hamm is also the name of a place situated on the banks of the River Lippe in Westphalia, which was founded in 1229.

Early Origins of the Ham family

The surname Ham was first found in Westphalia, where the name Hamm contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation which would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, each playing a significant role in the local social and political affairs.

Early History of the Ham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ham research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1746 is included under the topic Early Ham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ham Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Ham include Hamm, Hamme, Hahm, Hahme, Hahmm, Hahmme, Haamm, Haamme, Haam, Haame and many more.

Early Notables of the Ham family

Notables of the period with the name Ham were

the von Hamm family of Westphalia

Ham Ranking

In the United States, the name Ham is the 1,617^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Ham is ranked the 817^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,394 people with that name. 2

Ham migration to the United States +

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them were:

Ham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Ham, aged 16, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Warwick" 3
William Ham, who settled in Rhode Island in 1630
William Ham, who landed in New England in 1646 3
Barbara Ham, who landed in Maryland in 1650 3
Kath Ham, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Matthew Ham, who landed in New England in 1704 3
Mattys Ham, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
Peter Ham, who landed in Neve York in 1715-1716 3
Casper Ham, who landed in New York in 1715-1716 3
Coenraet Ham, who arrived in New York in 1715-1716 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

C K Ham, who arrived in Texas in 1835 3
Mr. W. Ham, (b. 1819), aged 22, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United States on 3 June 1841 4
Mr. J. Ham, (b. 1823), aged 18, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United States on 3 June 1841 4
Mr. Christian Ham, aged 58, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley"
Cornelia Van Ham, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Samuel Ham, (b. 1849), aged 52, Cornish farmer from Launceston, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 3rd March 1901 en route to Montana, USA 5
Mr. James Ham, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish miner from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 6th June 1903 en route to Michigan, USA 5
Mr. William Ham, (b. 1893), aged 11, Cornish settler from Launceston, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 29th October 1904 en route to Rochester, New York, USA 5
Miss Louise Ham, (b. 1894), aged 10, Cornish settler from Launceston, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 29th October 1904 en route to Rochester, New York, USA 5

Ham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ham Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jotham Ham, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Julina Ham, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Nicolas Ham, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Peter Ham, who arrived in Nova Scoria in 1757
Joseph Ham, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abraham Ham, who arrived in Manitoba in 1876

Ham migration to Australia +

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

Ham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Pyke Ham, (b. 1790), aged 46 born in Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 30th July 1836, sentenced for life for stealing apparel, transported aboard the ship "Susan" in 1837 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 6
Mr. Richard Pike Ham, (b. 1790), aged 46, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 30th July 1836, sentenced for life for stealing clothing from John Lowe and an ewe sheep from William Spittague, transported aboard the ship "Susan" on 29th July 1837 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Ham, (b. 1829), aged 14, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 22nd March 1843, sentenced for 10 years for stealing 15 pouds of flour from his emplyer, transported aboard the ship "Stratheden" on 31st July 1845 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Ham born in Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 22nd March 1843, sentenced for 10 years for stealing flour, transported aboard the ship "Stratheden" in 1845 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia, he died on board 19th November 1837 6
Edward Ham, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Harry Lorrequer" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham 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:

Ham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Elizabeth Ham, (b. 1839), aged 25, Cornish settler departing on 3rd April 1864 aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 9
Mr. John Thomas Ham, (b. 1859), aged 5, Cornish settler departing on 3rd April 1864 aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 9
Mr. Joseph A.J. Ham, (b. 1861), aged 3, Cornish settler departing on 3rd April 1864 aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 9
Mr. Philip Ham, (b. 1832), aged 32, Cornish farm labourer departing on 3rd April 1864 aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 9
Mr. Philip Ham, (b. 1832), aged 32, British farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ham 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. 11

Ham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Ham and wife Susannah settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Ham (post 1700) +

Billy Mack "Bill" Ham (1937-2016), American manager, producer of and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top (1969 to 2006)
James Richard Ham (1921-2002), American Roman Catholic Titular Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota
Captain, USN Kenneth "Hock" Tom Ham (b. 1964), American retired astronaut with over 13 days in space and a Captain in the United States Navy 12
Darvin Ham (b. 1973), American former NBA professional basketball player
Jack Raphael Ham Jr. (b. 1948), former American NFL Football linebacker, inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Donald Ham, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 2008 13
Daniel W. Ham, American Republican politician, Candidate for Maryland State Senate District 8, 1966 13
Charles Ham (b. 1851), American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives, 1903-06; Member of South Dakota State Senate 41st District, 1919-20 13
Caroline R. Ham, American politician, Mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1981-83 13
Bill Ham Jr., American politician, Mayor of Auburn, Alabama, 2000 13
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ham family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Alfred Albert Ham, English Blacksmith 4th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 14

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARRY LORREQUER 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849HarryLorrequer.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Kenneth Ham. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ham.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html