Show ContentsIsham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Isham

What does the name Isham mean?

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Isham surname lived in the parish of Isham in the county of Northampton near Kettering. "The church is an ancient edifice with a tower, and contains four Norman arches, and a curious monument." 1

Early Origins of the Isham family

The surname Isham was first found in Northamptonshire at Isham, a Saxon village and civil parish that dates back to 974 when it was listed as Ysham. By the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to the present spelling of Isham. 2 3

The place name literally means "homestead by the River Ise," having derived from the Celtic river-name + the Old English "ham" or "hamm." 4 The local church is an ancient edifice with a tower, and contains four Norman arches.

The earliest record of the family was found here "where an elder branch of the existing family, Isham of Lamport, were seated soon after the Conquest." 5

Later, Henry de Isham was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northamptonshire in 1206. 6

Early History of the Isham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Isham research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1416, 1582, 1590, 1610, 1617, 1621, 1622, 1625, 1627, 1651, 1656, 1658, 1671, 1673, 1675, 1676, 1680, 1681, 1687, 1690, 1694, 1697, 1705, 1711, 1713, 1726, 1730, 1737, 1755 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Isham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Isham Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Isham are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Isham include: Isham, Ison, Isom, Ipsam and others.

Early Notables of the Isham family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Gregory Isham of Orlingbury; John Isham (1582-1651), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, created Baronet Isham of Lamport on 30 May 1627; Sir Justinian Isham (1610-1675), 2nd Baronet Isham, English scho...
  • John Isham or Isum (1680?-1726), was an English composer, "born about 1680 and educated at Merton College, Oxford, whence he proceeded to London and served as deputy organist of St. Anne's, Westminste...
  • Zacheus Isham (1651-1705), was an English divine, "the son of Thomas Isham, rector of Barby, Northamptonshire (d. 1676), by his wife Mary Isham (d. 1694). He was grandson of another Zacheus, who was f...

Isham Ranking

In the United States, the name Isham is the 6,222nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7


Isham migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Isham or a variant listed above:

Isham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Isham, who was on record in Virginia in 1626
  • Dan and Roger Isham, who both arrived in Virginia in 1629
  • Robert Isham, aged 14, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 8
  • Roger Isham, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 8
  • Dan Isham, who landed in Virginia in 1652 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Isham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Reverend Charles Isham, who arrived at the Port of Charleston in Feb. 1825, aboard the Brig "Pomona"
  • M Isham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Isham (post 1700) +

  • William Bradley Isham (1827-1909), American banker
  • Willard W. Isham (1820-1876), American carriage maker, businessman, and politician
  • Wayne Isham (b. 1958), American video director
  • Samuel Isham (1855-1914), American portrait and figure painter
  • John William Isham (b. 1866), American vaudeville impresario
  • Heyward Isham (1926-2009), American diplomat, Foreign Service Officer and editor
  • Frederic S. Isham (1865-1922), American novelist and playwright
  • Charles Bradford Isham (1853-1919), American historian, 44th President of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1914)
  • Mary Todd "Mamie" Lincoln Isham (1869-1938), American granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln, the first daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln and the mother of Lincoln Isham
  • Norman Morrison Isham (1864-1943), American architectural historian, restorationist, and professor at Brown University
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Titanic
  • Miss Ann Elizabeth Isham (d. 1912), aged 50, American First Class passenger from Chicago, Illinois who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 9
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Orville Adalbert Isham, American Chief Gunner's Mate-Assigned from Hawaii, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 10


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  10. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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