Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Barnum, Barnham, Barnam
The surname BARNHAM originated in England, and descendants of Thomas Barnum (1625-1695), the immigrant ancestor in North America, have used the spellings BARNHAM, BARNAM, and BARNUM. The last of these is by far the most common in North America today, while BARNHAM continues to be the most common spelling in England and the use of the spelling BARNAM is very rare.
Sir Francis Barnham, MP, (1576-1646) discussed the origin of the surname Barnham in his journal. He stated, “Our Name as we have it by tradition, strenghtened with probable circumstances, and some good records (which I have heard some of my friends say they have seene) was first gentilized, or at least advanced, by Sir Walter Barnham, a Baron of the Exchequer in the time of King Richard II, and soe continued in a flowrishinge estate (at a place called Barnham in Suffolke not far from Thetford, where divers descents of them lye now buried) till the time of King Henry VII, all which I have received from my grandmother, father, and uncles, whoe spake it with much confidence, as being delivered to them, by theire friends of the former age, and the truth of it assured by divers records, however it is not that which I will binde on as an infallible truth, because I my self have not seene that which may soe absolutly assure it, and because I for myne owne parte care not to fetch a pedegree farther then from the certaine memory of a grandfather that was rich and honest, and a father that was vertuous and wise;....”
THE MEANING OF OUR SURNAME
Our surname is a locational name for any of the towns or villages called Barnham in the English counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Staffordshire. Locational surnames were derived from—and originally designated—the place of residence of the bearer. They were employed in France at an early date (e.g., La Porte “at the entrance to”) and were introduced into England by the Norman conquerors, many of whom were known by the titles of their estates.
Barnham in Suffolk is recorded as “Berneham” in the Domesday Book of 1086, while the two places in Norfolk and Staffordshire appear in the same source as “Bernham”. All of these places have the same derivation. That is: a combination of the pre-7th-Century Old English byname Beorn(a) [from Beorn (Old Norse barn), a warrior] with the Old English suffix “ham”, meaning homestead or village.
As mentioned above, Beorn is the Old English word for a warrior (or freeman in Anglo-Saxon society) but was also a name used by some noblemen (since “nobleman” was an alternate meaning). It is related to the Scandinavian names Björn (Swedish) and Bjørn (Norwegian and Danish), meaning bear. The word baron also developed from Beorn.
The basic meaning of Barnham in Old English was thus “the homestead (-ham) of the family or followers of a man called Beorn”.
POSSIBLE DERIVATION FROM DE BERNHAM
It was long thought that Sir Walter Barnham (abt. 1350-aft. 1399), Chancellor of the Exchequer in the time of King Richard II, was among the first bearers of the surname Barnham, since the adoption of surnames in England dates from only about 1200 to 1300 C.E. However, according to Burke, J. (1847). A General Armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the arms of BERNHAM or DE BERNHAM (Norfolk) are blazoned "Sable a cross between four crescents argent". Since that blazoning is identical to the arms later granted to Sir Walter and several of his descendants, it seems logical to assume that he and his family are descendants of the de Bernham family, whose surname dates from about 1070.
Later research suggests that our surname probably originated with Godwin Halden, Lord Haylesdon (abt. 1030-abt. 1090). After William the Conqueror awarded the lordship of Haylesdon (Hellesdon) to him in 1070, Godwin resided at Bernham Manor, Norfolk, and took his surname from that place. Through the vagaries of medieval English spelling, the surname DE BERNHAM appears to have given rise over several centuries to that of BARNHAM. The village that grew up near Barnham Manor, originally called Bernham Rysks, is today known as Barnham Broom.
Godwin was an ancestor of William de Bernham (b. abt. 1154), of Walter de Bernham (abt. 1264-abt. 1327), and their numerous descendants, probably including Sir Walter Barnham, mentioned above.
- Login to edit this profile and add images.
- Private Messages: Send a private message to the Profile Manager. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
- Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)