The Surname of Barnhill
The Surname of Barnhill first developed in the 12th and 13th centuries, during the period most British Isles surnames were formed, and developed as a topographic of place name, for a person who lived on a hill adjacent to a river or stream. The name derived from a compound of the Anglo-Norman French elements "bourne", meaning stream, and the Old English word "hyll", meaning hill or mound. A Medieval city bearing this name was located in Yorkshire. Famous bearers of the name include John Finch Barnhill (born 1865), surgeon and author of "Barnhill and Wales Modern Otology" and James Barnhill, author, who published "The Statics of Harmony". The first Barnhill in America was Robert Barnhill, a printer, who emigrated from England to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1750.
The Blazon of the family arms of Burnhill: Ermine, a bordure engrailed Gules.
- Ermine is a fur whose origin is in the forests of Armenia. It was used by the Egyptians. It is now an emblem of dignity, and often is used on the robes and crowns of nobility and royalty. It is depicted as white or silver speckled with devices having three black dots and a tail ending in three tips.
- Bordure (a border) is frequently used as a mark of distinction between relatives bearing the same arms. It is an augmentation of honor. Gules (red) represents fortitude and creative power.
- Engrailed is a term used to express the edge of any ordinary or sub-ordinary when composed of semi-circular intents.