Aram History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Aram

What does the name Aram mean?

The distinguished name Aram was derived from the Old English word "hearn," denoting "evil, hurt, injury." 1 Alternatively the name could have been derived from " a trade-sign of an Arm or Arms." 2

Early Origins of the Aram family

The surname Aram was first found in Lincolnshire where Walter Harm was recorded in the Registrum Antiquissimum c. 1150-1156. Years later, we found Richard Harm in the Feet of Fines for Surrey (1234-1235) and in Leicestershire we found William Arm in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 1

Early History of the Aram family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aram research. Another 39 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1235, 1327, 1674, 1704, 1759 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Aram History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aram 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 Aram 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. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Aram include: Harm, Harme, Harmes, Harms, Armes, Arms, Arme and many more.

Early Notables of the Aram family

Distinguished members of the family include

Eugene Aram (1704-1759), born in 1704, probably in September, at Ramsgill, Netherdale, Yorkshire. "His father was gardener to Sir Edward Blackett, of Newby

Aram 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 Aram or a variant listed above:

Aram Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Aram, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
Thomas Aram, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 3

Aram Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Matthias Aram, who landed in New York in 1813 3
I B Aram, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Aram (post 1700) +

Eugene Aram (1704-1759), English scholar
Zeev Aram OBE (1931-2021), British furniture and interior designer, founder and chairman of Aram Designs Ltd, a modern furniture store in London's Covent Garden
Siegfried Aram (b. 1891), German lawyer, cultural politician, art collector and art dealer
Aram Han Sifuentes (b. 1986), Korean-born, American social practice fiber artist, writer, curator, and an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Aram Jules Pothier (1854-1928), Canadian-born, American politician, two time Governor of Rhode Island (1909-1915) and (1925-1928)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)