I have been researching my direct family history for around 30 years. Scuffham is an unusual surname with a limited number of families, and few geographical locations which has made my own genealogy relatively easy to research over time. However, there are brick walls, and retirement has now given me the time to expand my research into a full study of the name and its variants on a worldwide basis.

I am just at the start of developing my research into a One Name Study, and currently developing a database of all Scuffham (and name variants) births, marriages and deaths initially concentrating on England, and with a view to reconstituting family groups. Shortly expanding to include the rest of the world. Along the way I hope to develop some of the interesting life stories that I come across (such as the Mary Scuffham sentenced to hang for a felony at the Old Bailey in 1726 – fortunately the sentence was not carried out). Or the 14-year-old Thomas Scuffham of Lichfield, sentenced in 1790 to be transported to Australia for 7 years for killing a sheep and stealing its heart and liver. It seems that we weren’t a particularly law abiding lot!

Scuffam. Skuffam. Skupham. Scupholm.

It’s worth noting that over the centuries there have been many deviant spellings of my family name and it has been quite difficult to discern deviant names from variants – an issue I hope to address during this study.

I have so far come across two versions of the meaning of this name. Both meanings are locational.

Surnamedb.com identifies the name as
‘…. of English locational origin from the village called Scothern in the county of Lincolnshire’

Read more: https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Scuffham#ixzz6BlvvjTWE

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland identifies Scuffham as one of several variants of the name Scupham, a ‘locative name from Scupholme in South Somercotes (Lincs)’.

As a point of interest, these locations are just 29 miles apart.

Depending upon which of the name origins above is followed, the earliest references to this name are:

Willelmo de Scopholm’, Johanne de Scopholme 1379 in Poll Tax (Somercotes, Lincs) (Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland).

‘…Robert Scowtherne of Reepham, Lincolnshire, whose daughter Bridget was christened there on October 10th 1600…’ (surnamedb.com).

As a point of reference, the 1881 Census shows the following frequency of the name and its variants:

Scuffham 47
Scupholme 27
Scuffam 23
Skuffham 15
Scupholm 11
Skupham 4

Historically the surname occurs mainly in Lincolnshire and Staffordshire, with outshoots in London, Huntingdon and Norfolk at various points in time, although I expect this distribution to increase when including variants. With my own branch of the Scuffham family, it is possible to track the migration through the 19th century, following the changing nature of work, from farm labourers in rural Lincolnshire, to coal miners in Leicestershire and ultimately the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Emigration in the early 20th century saw the name establish in the United States, and mid-century, to Australia and New Zealand.

I have BMD and Census data relating to my direct lineage – the Scuffham family which in the early 19th century was located in the Holbeach area of Lincolnshire. I am now expanding this information to include name variants from this and other locations.

I would be happy to hear from anyone who has information that would contribute to this study, and am equally happy to answer any queries about the study or the information that I have.