Surname Bartholmes - Meaning and Origin
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Bartholmes: What does the surname Bartholmes mean?
The surname Bartholmes is of English origin and is believed to come from a location in the county of Gloucestershire near a place called Blandford. The name likely originated as a topographical surname for someone who lived near a barth (a wood or thicket) or as a patronymic surname from the given name Bartholme, which is derived from the Hebrew personal name "bar-tholomai" meaning "son of Talmai" or "son of Furrows".
The recorded spelling of the surname is quite variable, spanning over 500 documented occurrences in the national archives, ranging from exemplars such as Barthol— recorded in the 1166 Pipe Rolls of York— to Barthon, Barthom, Bathom, Barthoml and Barthomly, among other variations.
More recently, the surname has been used to designate both a single-handed sailor and a type of broom popular among Celtic cultures. The name Bartholmes is generally considered a rather uncommon surname, rarely seen beyond those whose families have kept the legacy of the name alive for centuries.
Order DNA origin analysisBartholmes: Where does the name Bartholmes come from?
The last name Bartholmes is most commonly found in Germany today. In Germany, it is estimated that there are just over 4,000 people who currently hold the surname. Outside of Germany, the surname can be found in small numbers in several other European countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK. As with many German surnames, the Bartholmes surname may be derived from a root word that refers to an inherited profession or a location. The German prefix “Barth” is thought to be a variation of the word “Berthold”, which is a popular first name in Germany.
The last name Bartholmes first appeared in written records in the Middle Ages. During this time, the most common spelling of the name was “Barthelemi”, and this version is still used in some parts of Germany today. One famous German individual who bears this name is Gertie Bartholmes, an artist from Essen who is known for her landscape paintings inspired by the Ruhr district of Germany.
People who hail from Germany with the Bartholmes surname are likely to be of German descent, and may also have other German surnames in their genealogy. Furthermore, given the presence of the surname across multiple countries, it can be argued that the name Bartholmes is a product of inter-country migrations, indicating descendants of Europeans who settled in different places over multiple generations.
Variations of the surname Bartholmes
The surname Bartholmes is of French origin and was derived from the given name Barthelme. It is most commonly found in France but is also present in countries such as Switzerland and Germany. Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Bartholomaeus, Barthelme, Bartelme, Bartholomaey, Barthormey, Barthelmaey, Barthelmeyer, Bartlema, Barthel and Bartlus.
In the Middle Ages, when most people did not yet possess a hereditary surname, and it was not until the 12th century that surnames began to be adopted, variations in spelling were quite common. Different scribes or record-keepers would use different versions of a given name, and as French was the language of many official documents in Europe at the time, often names derived from French were given various spellings.
In France, the Bartholmes spelling can still be quite common; however, outside of France it is likely that variations of the same name are more frequently found. Many haplogroups in France—groups related by shared ancestry—will have a single surname but with great variation in spelling. For example, families with the Bartholmes surname can be found in various haplogroups.
The variations in spelling all come from the same French source and share a common lineage, though the spelling may differ from one generation to the next. Ultimately, the Bartholmes surname is of the same ancestral origin, regardless of whether the spelling is Barthelme, Bartelme, Bartholomaeus, or Barthormey.
Famous people with the name Bartholmes
- Mo'Nique, Academy Award-winning stand-up comedian, actress, model, and talk show host
- Kathleen Bartholmes, Canadian stage, film, and television actress
- Bill Bartholmes, American classical violinist
- Matt Barthalmes, actor, director, and musician
- Dan Bartholmes, American basketball player
- Mike Bartholmes, Canadian NHL hockey player
- Glenn Bartholmes, British football player and manager
- Michael Bartholmes, California-born musician
- Monica Bartholmes, German television journalist
- Jacquelyn Bartholmes, Dutch-born flautist