Surname Saturday - BYNUM

The Bynum name is of Welsh variation, taking the Baynham and other forms in fifteenth century England among families of Welsh origin.

The spelling, Baynham, is believed to be a variant of the Welsh name Beynon which was first used in Welsh counties that bordered England.  The derived surname, Baynham developed outside of Wales in the adjoining English border counties.

John Baynham, thought to be one of the earliest ancestors of the majority of American Bynums, was born circa 1616 in Virginia.  Researchers believe this John Baynham was illiterate and therefore the spelling of the surname was often in phonetic form.

Land records show variations which include Byneham, Bynham, Bynam, Bineham, Binam, Bynom, Bayneham, Binnom, Binham, Benham and Benom.  

By the nineteenth century, John Baynham's descendants had chosen to use the surname Bynum.   




Reference:  T. E. Morris, “Welsh Surnames in the Border Counties of Wales”, Y Cymmrodor, Volume XLIII (London, 1932), p108 and pp157-159.