Hyams History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Hyams surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in or beside an enclosed region. The surname Hyams originally derived from the Old English word "hegham" which referred to an "enclosed dwelling." 1

Early Origins of the Hyams family

The surname Hyams was first found in Norfolk at Heigham, Potter, a parish, in the hundred of Happing. 2

The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Echam. 3

But by 1182, the parish was known as Higham Potter and possibly meant "homestead with a hedge or hatch-gate. The affix must allude to the pot-making here at an early date." 4

As far as early records of the family is concerned, Osward de Hecham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1176 and a few years later, Hugo de Hegham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1198. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three early entries for the family: Ralph de Hegham, Norfolk; Thomas de Hegham or Heyham, Kent; and Robert de Heyham, Suffolk. 1

Later, Robertus de Hegham was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. "This surname is derived from a geographical locality, 'of the Hegham,' i.e. the enclosed dwelling, a spot in East Cheshire that gave rise to a surname now very familiar to the directories of the surrounding district. Also parishes in the Dioceses of Norwich, Peterborough, and Rochester, which no doubt have contributed to the list in South England." 1

Early History of the Hyams family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hyams research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1495, 1545, 1554, 1555, 1558, 1559, 1560, 1568, 1570, 1571, 1572, 1634 and 1636 are included under the topic Early Hyams History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hyams Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Hyams include Hyam, Hyams, Hygham, Hyham, Higham, Highams and many more.

Early Notables of the Hyams family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Clement Higham, (also Heigham), of Barrow Hall, Suffolk, (1495-1571), a Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons (1554-1555), Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and a Privy Councillor to Queen Mary. He was of a Suffolk family, son of Clement Heigham of Lavenham. "On 27 January 1555 he was knighted by King Philip (Machyn, Diary, p. 342), and on 2 March 1558 he succeeded Sir David Brooke as lord chief Baron of the exchequer. He received a new patent on Queen Elizabeth's accession, but on 22 January 1559 he was...
Another 116 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hyams Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hyams migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Hyams Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Emanuel Hyams, who arrived in Pennsylvania 1773
Emanuel Hyams, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 6

Hyams Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Hyams, aged 21, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 6
Mordecai Hyams, aged 21, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 6
Catherine Hyams, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1831 6
Alfred Hyams, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 6

Hyams migration to Australia +

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

Hyams Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Israel Hyams, (b. 1797), aged 24, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1877 7
Cornelius Hyams, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Henry Hyams, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Eliza Hyams, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 10
Emma Hyams, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hyams (post 1700) +

Samuel S. Hyams, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 23rd District, 1935; Candidate for New York State Senate, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1952, 1956 11
Harry John Hyams (1928-2015), British millionaire and real estate developer of the Centre Point office building in London

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The TRAFALGAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Trafalgar.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html