This name is well recorded in England but only from the Mid 17th Century, and although this is not proven, we believe that Sanham is an anglicized form of the Huguenot Senchen or Senheim, both being recorded heraldically in France and Germany before 1680. If this prognosis is correct the name is either job descriptive or locational for one resident or working at an "Alpine Dairy Farm". The name development in England includes - Robert Sanham who married Mary Anderson at St. Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, London in 1713, whilst earlier Elizabeth Sanham married Thomas Marshall at St. Martins in the Field, Westminster on April 14th 1702 in the reign of William of Orange, 1689 - 1702. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Dorothy Seniohm, which was dated 1638, christened at St. Botolph, London, during the reign of King Charles I, The Martyr, 1625 - 1649. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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