Soames History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Soames family

The surname Soames was first found in Suffolk where Earl Soham dates back to the Domesday Book 1 as lands held by Count Alan. At that time a manor was listed on four carucates of land. Some of the family remained in Normandy as Radulphus Sone was listed there in a census conducted 1180-95. 2

The same census also listed a R. Sone or Sonne in 1198. The name literally means " homestead by the pool" when translated from the Old English sae + ham.

Soham is also a small town in Cambridgeshire that has a similar lineage that dates back to before the Domesday Book. For it is here that Saegham was listed c. 1100.3

But the name dates back further; Luttingus, a Saxon nobleman built a cathedral and palace at Soham around 900 AD, on the site of the present day Church of St. Andrews.

Early History of the Soames family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soames research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1540, 1575, 1584, 1598, 1601, 1619, 1640, 1648, 1671 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Soames History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Soames Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Soam, Soams, Soames, Somes, Soame, Soan, Soanes and others.

Early Notables of the Soames family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Stephen Soame (c.1540-1619), an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1601, Lord Mayor of London in 1598; Sir Peter Soam, Lord of the Manor of Berkesden, county Suffolk; Sir Thomas Soame (1584-1671), an English politician who sat...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Soames Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Soames 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:

Soames Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sophia Soames, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wairoa" in 1880

Contemporary Notables of the name Soames (post 1700) +

Jane Soames (1900-1988), British-born American author, translator, and historian
Scott Soames (b. 1946), American Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California
Sally Soames (1937-2019), née Winkleman, English newspaper photographer, known for her work in The Guardian, The New York Times, and Newsweek, and others
Henry Soames (1785-1860), English clergyman and ecclesiastical historian, Chancellor of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1842
William Aldwin Soames (1850-1916), English cricketer for Sussex in 1875
Henry Soames (1843-1913), English cricketer who played for Hampshire in 1867, brother of William Soames
David Michael Soames (b. 1984), English former professional footballer who played from 2002 to 2006
Mary Soames LG, DBE, FRSL (1922-2014), Baroness Soames, born Mary Spencer-Churchill, the youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine
Nicholas Winston Soames (b. 1948), English politician, member of the British Parliament
Rupert Christopher Soames OBE (b. 1959), British businessman, CEO of Serco Group plc, a British outsourcing company
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)