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The name Merriam is now a distinctly American (North American) name. The name has died out in Kent county and England altogether. Early records show John Meryham stonemason in 1455.
In the 16th century in Pembrokeshire a manor called Meriham or Myrryam is found near the town of Tenby.
William Merryan is mentioned in the will of James Burgess of Tudeley England in 1590. This may be the same William Merriam the father of our ancestors.
The discovery of the spelling of the name Merryham, Meriham and Meryham settles the question of its meaning.
Both Merry and Ham are Saxon words. They are in Bosworth's "Dictionary of Anglo Saxon Language," London 1808 as follows;
Mirige, myrig, adj. Merry, pleasant: hilaris, jucunis.
Ham, a home, house, dwelling; domus.
Ham, as a termination, in the name of places, denotes a home. dwelling, village.
So the meaning of Merryham is "Happy home".
The first ancestor to distinguish himself from other Johns of his village became John of the happy home or John Meryham.
The editor has found Merriam spelt as Meriam, Miriam, Merium, Merrum.
So the next time someone says "How do you spell that", be proud and make sure they get it right.
Where did we come from.
The first Merriam that we can prove is our ancestor is William Merriam born about 1400 in Kent England. Merriam's name of Meryham can be traced back to 1295 in England. In 1500 a descendant of William Merriam another "William" had three sons, Joseph, Robert and George who came to the new world ( New England) in 1638 on the ship Castle of London, landing at Port of Charleston. They settled in Lynn Mass. Joseph and his wife Sara Goldstone had children and it is from this couple that all Merriam's in North America are descended. George also had children But the Male line survived only three generations. You can read more about the early Merriams in " Merriam Genealogy in England and America compiled by Charles Henry Pope and John Merriam Kingsbury. It is available at Bullbrier Press
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