Name derived from?

Question:

Name derived from?

The last name of "Helms" was found on my mother's side of the family tree. Where does this name come from? Is it Scottish, Irish, ect...?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The name has many possible origins including German, Scottish, & Dutch. It has several variants in spelling: Helm, Helms, Helem, Helen, Hellums, etc. In the eastern US, one branch descended from the captain of a ship, Israel Akesson. He assumed the last name HELM, a variant of the word hjelm, meaning "helmet" in Swedish. (see http://www.colonialswedes.org/forefather...

Another good, extensive site for researching the name and some of its roots can be found at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/...