Regina and Group: At one point in my digging I did some looking into the towns of North Mimms (also North Mymms) and South Mimms in England. It is believed that the Mims name originates from our ancestors taking the name of this place when surnames began to be used after the Norman Conquest. It is also thought that Mims may be an old Anglo-saxon tribal name, but historians are not sure at all. Both of these towns are just to the northwest of London and are both still there today (we need to go there and have a pint!!). I also learned in my digging that the name has been spelled various ways since it was first recorded in 1085 or so (Mimmine, Mymmes, Mymms, Mimms, Mims), and that "Mims" was the spelling of choice in the 1600's. So perhaps this is why our Thomas is listed as "Mims" when he arrived here in America in 1657. "Mimms" is more common there in England today. Anyway, unless Thomas went to Wales first on the way to sailing to America (as Bob Neff from the list suggests) he most likely came from England. I am totally convinced though that Mims (Mimms) is a very old English name. -Steve