Antrim - Name

Recorded in a number of forms including Antram, Antrim, Anttrim, Antro, Antrum and possibly others, this appears to be a surname of Irish origins, but is almost certainly English. It is one which is quite well recorded in the south of England and particularly in the surviving early church registers of Greater London. It seems not to be associated with County Antrim or the city of Antrim in Northern Ireland. Often surnames with seemingly confused origins, can be researched by association with the same noble or heraldic surname, but not in this case. The earls of Antrim being in fact chiefs of clan Mac Donnell! Nor does the name have an obvious meaning, unless like the similar Bartram or Bartrim, it is a developed form of an Anglo-Saxon pre 7th century personal name. Bartram is from "Bert-trand" meaning bright-raven, and it is possible that this name is from "Anke-tran(d)" meaning spear-raven or similar. Another possibility is that the surname is locational from a place, but if so nothing like it in any of the known surname recordings appears in the gazetters of the British Isles for at least four centuries. Examples of recordings include Charles Antrum at St Giles Cripplegate on January 23rd 1655, Elizabeth Antrim who married Edward Winne at All Hallows church, London Wall, on September 4th 1701, and Richard Antram at St Pauls Deptford, on July 30th 1809.