Hothem History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Hothem family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the settlement of Holtham or Houghham in Lincolnshire.

Today, Hotham is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where "the manor was for many generations the property of the Hotham family." 1

The name is "assumed from the place of residence, Hotham in Yorkshire, probably derived from the Saxon word Hod, a hood or covering, and ham, a house, farm, or village, or a piece of ground near a house or village, both of which terms are applicable to the situation of Hotham. Houtham signifies a place at or near a wood, from the Dutch Hout, a wood." 2

Early Origins of the Hothem family

The surname Hothem was first found in Yorkshire, where they claim descent from "Peter de Trehouse, who assumed the local name of Hotham, and was living in the year 1188." 3

The brisk winds of time have dusted off some rather interesting entries about the Hothem family. Robert de Hotham was found in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1202 and later, Walter de Hothum was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included only one entry for the family, that of Robert de Hothum, Yorkshire. John de Hotham was Bishop of Ely, 19 Edward I (during the 19th year of King Edward I's reign.) 5

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 also had only one entry for the family, Johannes de Hothum. 6

William of Hothum, also called Hodon and Odone, (d. 1298), was "Archbishop of Dublin, an Englishman who joined the Dominican order, and studied at Paris at the convent of the Jacobins, and became licentiate of theology in 1280, and afterwards doctor. He is often identified with the William de Hothum who was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, in 1286; but this William is more probably a kinsman who between 1302 and 1306 was a prebendary of Swords in St. Patrick's, Dublin." 7

John Hothum or Hotham (d. 1337), was Bishop of Ely and Chancellor, "a younger son of a good Yorkshire family, was a clerk in the service of Edward II, and was when rector of Cottingham in Yorkshire appointed Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer in 1309, and the next year received from the king a prebend at York, and held the office of escheator beyond the Trent." 7

Early History of the Hothem family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hothem research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1316, 1584, 1610, 1615, 1617, 1621, 1622, 1632, 1645, 1655, 1663, 1672, 1689, 1691, 1693, 1723, 1736, 1738, 1765, 1767, 1806, 1813 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Hothem History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hothem 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 Hothem include Hotham, Hothan, Hothum, Hothun and others.

Early Notables of the Hothem family

Distinguished members of the family include Charles Hotham (ca. 1615-1672), an English cleric.The Hotham Baronets of Scorborough in the County of York, was created in the Baronetage of England in 1622. The family seat is Dalton Hall, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. The boronets include: Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet, of Scorborough (died 1645), English parliamentarian; Sir John Hotham, 2nd Baronet (1632-1689), an English politician; Sir John Hotham, 3rd Baronet (1655-1691), an English politician; Sir Charles Hotham, 4th Baronet (c. 1663-1723); Sir Charles Hotham, 5th Baronet (1693-1738); Sir Charles Hotham, 6th...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hothem Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hothem family to Ireland

Some of the Hothem family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hothem migration to the United States +

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 Hothem or a variant listed above:

Hothem Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Hothem, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1770 8

Hothem Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ang Hothem, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Lehe, Germany, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Hothem (post 1700) +

Larry D. Hothem, American geodesist, eponym of Hothem Cliffs, Antarctica

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)