Show ContentsHolliham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Holliham family have grown. The name Holliham was given to a member of the family who was a person who was referred to as the Holy-man. 1 A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favoured style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Holliham family

The surname Holliham was first found in Berkshire where Roger Haliman was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1212. Years later in Lincolnshire, William Holyman was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1276, as was Richard Hollyman. 2

Early History of the Holliham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holliham research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1495, 1512, 1514, 1518, 1526 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Holliham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holliham Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Holliham family name include Hollyman, Holyman, Holleyman, Holeyman, Holliman, Holiman and many more.

Early Notables of the Holliham family

Distinguished members of the family include John Holyman (1495-1558), was Bishop of Bristol, was a native of Coddington, near Haddenham in Buckinghamshire. He was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford, and in...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holliham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Holliham family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Holliham surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Christopher Holliman, who sailed to Virginia in 1653; William Hollyman to Virginia in 1656; John Holliman to Virginia in 1701; and Margret Holleman to Alabama in 1851..



  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. 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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