Putnam
|
|
Putnam is a somewhat common surname. Despite the fact that it is common in England and New England, it is Flemish in origin.
The original in England name was Puttenham, and that family had been in England since around 1100.
In the early 1600s, the time of immigration to the New World, one of these immigrants was a descendant of the Puttenham family, John Putnam, who immigrated from England to Salem Village around 1638. He was born in Aston Abbotts, Buckinghamshire. Israel Putnam, a general in the American Revolutionary War, was his great grandson.
Putnam is also the name of several places in the United States of America, all named for Israel Putnam:
- Putnam, Connecticut
- Putnam County, Florida (It is not certain as to whether this one was named for Israel Putnam. There is also a possibility that it was named for Benjamin A. Putnam, an officer in the First Seminole War and local Florida politician.)
- Putnam County, Georgia
- Putnam County, Illinois
- Putnam County, Indiana
- Putnam County, Missouri
- Putnam County, New York
- Putnam, New York (town)
- Putnam County, Ohio (some sources say it was named for his cousin Rufus Putnam)
- Putnam County, Tennessee
- Putnam County, West Virginia
Other people with the name "Putnam" include:
- George Palmer Putnam (1814-1872), founder of the publishing firm that became G.P. Putnam's Sons (now part of the Pearson PLC media conglomerate);
- George Haven Putnam son of George Palmer Putnam who took over the publishing company;
- Herbert Putnam, a Librarian of Congress and son of the George Palmer Putnam;
- Brenda Putnam (1890-1975), award-winning sculptor daughter of Herbert
- George P. Putnam (1887-1950), publisher, author, explorer, grandson of George Palmer Putnam and husband of aviatrix, Amelia Earhart;
- Mary Corinna Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), a daughter of George Palmer Putnam who was the first woman to become a member of the United States Academy of Medicine.
- George Putnam (born 1914), prominent Los Angeles, California television newsman;
- George D. Putnam (born 1948), screenwriter;
- Hilary Putnam, a philosopher;
- Robert Putnam, a political scientist;
- Rufus Putnam, another general who was the half 1st cousin once removed of Israel Putnam
- Ann Putnam, Jr., an important figue in the Salem Witch Trials. Her parents were Thomas Putnam and Ann Carr Putnam. For the article about Thomas Putnam from The Crucible, see Thomas Putnam
- Adam Putnam, Florida politician and member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001.
- Seth Putnam, founder of the grindcore/noisecore band Anal Cunt.
- Howard Putnam the former CEO of the highly successful Southwest Airlines.
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is taken by North American undergraduate students.
Putnam Investments is also the name of a mutual fund and investment company.
Putnam Division is a railroad division.