Bickham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bickham

What does the name Bickham mean?

The ancestors of the Bickham surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Bikome, a town in the county of Somerset.

Early Origins of the Bickham family

The surname Bickham was first found in Somerset where Kirby's Quest listed the first two entries for the name: Walter de Bikome, Somerset, 1 Edward III and Godfrey de Bycorobe, Somerset, 1 Edward III. 1 In both cases, these poeple lived "1 Edward III," or in other words "during the first year of King Edward III's reign."

Early History of the Bickham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bickham research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1743, 1747, 1758 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Bickham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bickham Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bickham include Bickham, Bickam, Bigham, Biggam, Bigholme, Bighone, Begholm, Beghome, Biggem and many more.

Early Notables of the Bickham family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

George Bickham the Elder (d. 1769), writing-master and engraver, born about the end of the seventeenth century. "He was the most celebrated penman of his time, and published in 1743 a folio volume ent...

Bickham Ranking

In the United States, the name Bickham is the 12,272^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Bickham migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bickham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abner Bickham, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 3
William Bickham, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 3

Bickham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bickham, who settled in Philadelphia in 1830

Bickham 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. 4

Bickham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Bickham who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Bickham (post 1700) +

Moreese Bickham (1917-2016), American resident of Mandeville, Louisiana who was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death for the July 12, 1958 killing of a sheriff's deputy; he served 37 1/2 years in prison but was eventually released
Clint Bickham, American voice actor and ADR script writer working with Funimation and Sentai Filmworks/Seraphim Digital
Daniel Denison Bickham (1864-1951), American pitcher for Major League Baseball
Charles Goodwin Bickham (1867-1944), United States Army first lieutenant who received the Medal of Honor
Jack Miles Bickham (1930-1997), American author and educator, who wrote under the pseudonym John Miles
Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott KCMG (1857-1941), British colonial administrator, 3rd Administrator of the Seychelles (1899-1903), 1st Governor of the Seychelles (1903-1904), 4th Governor of British Honduras (1904-1906), 10th Governor of Fiji (1912-1918)

Citations +

Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies