Hotman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hotman belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived 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 Hotman family

The surname Hotman 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 Hotman 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 Hotman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hotman 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 Hotman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hotman Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Hotman include Hotham, Hothan, Hothum, Hothun and others.

Early Notables of the Hotman family

Distinguished members of the family include

Nicolas Hotman (ca. 1610-1663) was a Baroque composer, who spent most of his career in France, his origin is unknown but it is believed that he was born in Germany

Migration of the Hotman family to Ireland

Some of the Hotman 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.

Hotman migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Hotman were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Hotman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Hotman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 8
Michael Hotman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 8
John Hotman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 8

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)