EnglandSweetnam is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the county of Cheshire, where they held a family seat at Swettenham. The surname Sweetnam is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel.
The surname Sweetnam was first found in Cheshire at Swettenham, a small village and civil parish. The place name was originally Suetenham in the late 12th century which literally meant "homestead or enclosure of a man called Sweta." [1]
Swettenham Hall is a country house located there dating back to the 17th century. The first Saxon Lord of Swettenham, Peter, had his estates confirmed by King William Rufus.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sweetnam research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1602, 1617, 1577, 1622, 1606, 1617 and 1618 are included under the topic Early Sweetnam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Sweetnam has been recorded under many different variations, including Swettenham, Swetenham, Sweetham, Swetnam and others.
Distinguished members of the family include Joseph Swetnam (fl. 1617), called the woman-hater, " he kept a fencing school at Bristol. He must be distinguished from his contemporary namesake, Joseph Swetnam, Sweetnam...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sweetnam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sweetnam migration to the United States +For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Sweetnam or a variant listed above:
