Bellamy Coat of Arms / Bellamy Family CrestThe surname of BELLAMY was a nickname ‘my good friend’ a common surname in early registers. The name was derived from the Old French Beau (fair) and Ami (friend).
The name appeared in early documents in the Latin form of AMICUS. The small villages of Europe, or royal and noble households, even large religious dwellings and monastries, gave rise to many family names, which reflected the occupation or profession of the original bearer of the name.
Following the Crusades in Europe in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries a need was felt for an additional name. This was recognized by those of gentle birth, who realised that it added prestige and practical advantage to their status.
At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped and flowing garment worn over the armour.
Early records of the name mention Reginald Belhume who was documented in 1179 in County Sussex, and Belhome (without surname) appears in Surrey in the year 1180. William Belhom was mentioned in Cambridge in the year 1279. Henry Belamy was recorded during the reign of Edward I (1272-1307). Edward Bellemy of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Later instances of the name mention Elizabeth Bellamye who was baptised at St. James’s, Clerkenwell, London in 1634.
Charles Parent married Elizabeth Bellamy at St. George’s, Hanover Square, London in 1757. Most of the European surnames were formed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The process had started somewhat earlier and had continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the tenth and eleventh centuries people did not have surnames, whereas by the fifteenth century most of the population had acquired a second name.