This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the holm,' from residence upon a holm, an islet in, or a flat land beside, a river. The word as a place name is common all over England. In my old parish (Ulverston, North Lancashire) is an Appletree-holm in the river Crake. 'Holm, place besydone a water; hulmus': Promptorium Parvulorum The word is sometimes found spelt home or holms. 'Homes, probably holms, which signified originally river-islands' (Kennett).

Goscelin de Holme, Suffolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John in le Holmp (sic), Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Robert del Holm, Yorkshire, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

Thomas del Holme, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Adam del Holme, 1379: ibid.

Johannes del Holme, 1379: ibid.

Adam atte Home, Close Rolls, 14 Edward III. pt.

1574. Robert Cooke and Johanna Homes, of Isleworth: Marriage Lic. (London).

1615. Baptised — Alice, d. Thomas Holmes: St. James, Clerkenwell.

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Horn.' Beyond a doubt a personal name. Lower says, 'One Alwin Home held lands in Middlesex and Herts before the making of Domesday. Horn is a personal name of great antiquity, and is borne by the hero of a celebrated old English and French romance. For his history, see Wright's Essays' The instances in surname form are many.

Adam Honi, Wiltshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Henry Horn, Northamptonshire, ibid.

Walter Horn, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Johannes Home, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

(a) Local, 'of Horne,' a parish in Kent.

Roger de Horne, Kent, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

(3) Local, 'at the Horn,' a signname; compare Roebuck, Whitehorse, &c.

William atte Horn, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Thomas atte Home, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

At the same time Horn in these two cases may represent a piece of ground shaped like a horn, and therefore so styled; compare Hook.

William Home, of London, and lane Alisunder, widow: Marriage Lic. (London).

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Hulme.' There are several townships so called in Lancashire, and Cheshire, the meaning is the same as Holm, which see, and compare Home and Hume: in both cases the 'l' is elided.

Ralph de la Hume, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Henry Hulme, of Stockport, 1610: Wills at Cheater (1545-1620).

Johannes Holmys, capellanus, witness in Ayr, 1460 (Ayr, p. 35), doubtless derived his name from the lands of Holmes near Dundonald in Kyle Stewart. There were also lands named Holmes in the barony of Inchestuir. James Hoomes in 1668 to find caution that he will not harm any of the inhabitants of Inverness (Rec. lnv., II, p. 233).

Of territorial origin from the barony of Home in Berwickshire. "in early times, ' says Miss Warrander, "the name was spelled indifferently Home or Hume. In later days the Polwarth branch adopted the spelling with a II, while the head of the family, Lord Home, retained the o; but they all spring alike from the same stock" (Marchmont and the Humes of Polwarth, Edinburgh, 1894 p. 16n). David Hume, the philosopher and historian, always spelled his name with II, while his brother, John of Ninewells, insisted on spelling the name as 'Home.' There is an amusing note on this dispute by John Home of Ninewells in Kay's Edinburgh portraits, ed. 1837, II, p. 72. Of David Hume it is said that to have his name pronounced "as if to rhyme with 'comb' made him furious, and he explained he was driven to sign himself 'Hume' by 'thae glaekit English bodies, who could not call him aright." Hume of Godscroft the historian of the House of Douglas, is known in the world of letters as Theagrius, the Greek translation of his territorial designation, Godscroft. The family of Home is claimed by some to have sprung from the old Saxon earls of Dunbar and Northumbria, but there is no proof that such was the case. Their arms show that they advanced themselves by successful marriages. Sir Thomas Home married Nichola, of the ancient family of Pepdie of Dunglas; Sir Alexander Home, first Lord Home (d. 1491) married Mariota, heiress of Landells of Landells. An heiress of the Lords Halyburton also brought them an increase of their possessions, and the heiress of the Douglases vasdy increased their fortunes by bringing to the earl of Home the wide lands of the family of Douglas at Douglas, Bothwell, Bonkle, and in Angus. Ada, daughter of Patrick, fifth earl of Dunbar, is said to have married her father's cousin, William, son of Patrick of Greenlaw, but the marriage is nowhere proved, and the terms of a charter by William of Home, of date 1268 (Kelso, l, 99—101) suggests that she was not his mother (Sc. Peer, III, p. 254). Geffrai de Home of Lanarkshire rendered homage in 1296. His seal bears the device of a crescent enclosing a star of seven rays, S' Galfridi de Hom (Bain, II, p. 186,204). Adam de Hom served on an inquest held at Berwick in the same year (ibid., p. 216). Alexander de Hume witnessed a charter of the lands of Drumgrey, 1408 (Annandale, I, p. 12), and Alexander Hume and David Hume were conservators of the truce between Scotland and England, 1451 (Bain, IV, 1239). William Hoom, merchant burgess of Glasgow, 1661 (Inquis., 4469). Oliver Wendell Holmes was descended from a David Hume, one of several hundred Scots prisoners sent by Cromwell to America (Finley, The Coming of the Scot, p. 28). Hoome 1498, Houme 1577, Hovme 1517, Howm 1488, Howme 1436, Hoym and Huym 1488, Hoyme 1550, Hum 1464, Hwm 1544, Hwime c. 1530, Hwm 1442, Hwym 1581; Hewme, Hom, Hoom, Houm, Houmm, Hwme, Hwyme.

A well-known Old English personal name, probably of Norse origin. Aluuin Home in DB. (Ewen, p. 88). John Horn was beaten and evil-treated on the Border, 1279 (Bain, II, p. 47). In 1328 there is entry of cockets of Lochmaben for Alan Home (ER., I, p. 99). John Horn apud Fervy, forestaller in Aberdeen, 1402 (CRA., p. 384). David Home is mentioned in a sasine relating to Cupar, 1456 (Panmure, II, 238), and Agnes Horn is recorded in Glasgow, 1487 (REG., 447). John Horne was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1497 (NSCM., I, p. 39), and Alexander Horne contributed towards church repairs there in 1508 (CRA., p. 79). William Horn, attorney for Robert, archbishop of Glasgow, 1503 (REG., p. 505), James Horne, bailie of Haddington, 1567 (RPC., I, p. 558), and Alexander Horne, canon of Ross, 1584 (RPC.). Horn of Westhall, an old family in Oyne (AEI., p. 108—111). Hurne 1561.

For Holm(e, q.v.

A holme is defined by Halliwell as ' flat land; a small island; a deposit of soil at the confluence of two waters. Flat grounds near water are called holms.'

See Hume, of which it is an older orthography.

An ancient village and fortress in Berwickshire. The Homes or Humes were descended from the famous earls of Dunbar, and through them from Gospatrick, earl of Northumberland, and the Saxon monarchs of England.

Local: from the castle of Home in Berwickshire. The family are descended from William Home, temp. Alexander III, the grandson of Patrick Home, Earl of Dunbar; their war cry was "a Home, a Home."

Holmes. —Widely distributed over England, but rare in the south, especially in the south - west. The northern half of England evidently possesses its home, or rather its homes; in the counties of Durham and Derby, in the West Riding, and in Lincolnshire, occur the greatest numbers of the name.

The name of Horn or Horne, at present well represented around Wisbech, is also found in Kent. It was also represented in these two counties in the 13th century, as well as in London, Suffolk, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hunts, Northamptonshire, and Wilts (H. R).

Home was an Oxfordshire name in the 13th century (H. R.).