Contents [hide]

Langham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Langham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Wales

There have long been several places named Langham in Britain: there is a village so named in Rutland that dates back to before the Domesday Book 1, as does the village of Langham in North Essex, which was a Saxon settlement. There was also a Langham in Norfolk and Suffolk. It is most likely that the surname Langham was originally born by someone who hailed from one of these villages.

Early Origins of the Langham family

The surname Langham was first found in Suffolk where the family name was first referenced in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as William de Langham. The same rolls lists Henry de Longeham in Lincolnshire; and Dionis de Langham in Norfolk. 2 The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 lists William of Langham in Leicestershire. The name is thought to have meant "homestead of the family" or "followers of a man called Lahha." 3 Some of the family were found at Elkington in Northamptonshire since the early days. "This parish, through which passes the Grand Union canal, comprises 1868 acres of a moderately productive soil, the property of the Earl Spencer and the Langham family. " 4

Early History of the Langham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langham research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1363, 1366, 1376, 1395, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1538, 1584, 1600, 1621, 1625, 1654, 1656, 1660, 1670, 1671, 1678, 1696, 1698, 1699, 1700, 1747, 1749 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Langham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langham 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 Langham family name include Langham, Langam, Langum, Langhan, Langhen, Langholm and many more.

Early Notables of the Langham family

Distinguished members of the family include

Cardinal Simon de Langham (c.1310-1376), Lord Chancellor of England in 1363 and Archbishop of Canterbury in 1366, he fell foul of Edward III later, and lived out the rest of his life in Avignon, Franc...
Sir John Langham, 1st Baronet (1584-1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and 1660, a turkey merchant by trade, he acquired a considerable fortune in London
Sir John Langham, 4th Baronet (c. 1670-1747)
Sir James Langham, 5th Baronet (c. 1696-1749)
Sir John Langham, 6th Baronet (c. 1698-1766) and others listed in the contemporary section of the article

Langham Ranking

In the United States, the name Langham is the 5,579^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Langham migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Langham surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Langham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christopher Langham, who arrived in New York in 1633
Christopher Langham, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1633 6
George Langham, who arrived in Maryland in 1652-1658 6
Phillip Langham, who landed in Virginia in 1658 6

Langham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Langham, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 6

Langham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Langham, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 6

Langham migration to Australia +

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

Langham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Langham, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Miss Mary Langham, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
William Langham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Psyche" in 1849 9
James Langham, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Mallard" 10
Mr. John Langham, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 11

Langham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Langham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Langham, aged 33, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
Catherine Langham, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
Mary Ann Langham, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
Thomas Langham, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12

Langham migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Langham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Francis Langham, who settled in Barbados in 1664

Contemporary Notables of the name Langham (post 1700) +

Wallace Langham (b. 1965), American actor and director, known for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), The Larry Sanders Show (1992) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Jonathan Nicholas Langham (1861-1945), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1909-1915)
Elias Langham (1749-1830), American politician, land surveyor and soldier, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1803-1806)
James Wallace Langham II (b. 1965), American actor
Derald George Langham (1913-1991), American agricultural geneticist
Franklin Langham (b. 1969), American professional (PGA) golfer
Antonio Langham (b. 1972), American professional (NFL) football player
Jonathan Nicholas Langham (1861-1945), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 27th District, 1909-15; Common Pleas Court Judge in Pennsylvania 40th District, 1915-29 14
John S. Langham, American politician, U.S. Consul in Chihuahua, 1830-42 14
John D. Langham, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Orleans County, 1922 14
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Langham Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nec sinit esse feros
Motto Translation: Education does not suffer them to be brutal.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PSYCHE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849PsycheRegister.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Mallard 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/mallard1855.shtml
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html