DUNHAM
Dunham is an English locational surname that originated in the British Isles. The name is associated with the country of England, the English language, and the Christian tradition that has long been part of the region’s cultural heritage.
The etymology of Dunham derives from the Old English words dun, meaning “hill,” and ham, meaning “homestead” or “enclosure.” Consequently, the surname can be interpreted as “the homestead on the hill” or “the enclosure near the hill.”
In medieval times the surname was typically given to a person who had moved from a particular place; it served to identify a stranger by the name of the settlement from which he or she had departed. The name therefore refers to several villages called Dunham, including those in Nottingham, the Norfolk villages of Dunham Magna and Dunham Parva, and the settlements known as Dunham on the Hill in Norfolk and Cheshire. The repetition in the name Dunham on the Hill – which literally translates as “Dunham on the hill” – underscored the topographical nature of the surname.
Locational surnames were often spelled in various ways. The surname has been recorded as Dunham, Donham and, less frequently, Doneham. Mis‑spelling was common in earlier records, as the letters were sometimes interchangeable in handwritten documents.
Early documentary evidence of the name appears in the mid‑sixteenth century. Edwarde Dunham is recorded at the village of North Elmham in Norfolk on 9 October 1546, a date that falls within the reign of Henry VIII. In the late eighteenth century, Thomas Donham is cited as a witness at the town of Nantwich, Cheshire, on 5 November 1790.
These historic records attest to the longevity of the surname Dunham and its continued use in England. The name remains a clear example of a locational surname with deep roots in the geography and history of the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Dunham surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Dean
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
Female
- Anne
- Carol
- Claire
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Joanne
- Julie
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Dunham in...
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There are approximately 2,253 people named Dunham in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,811th most common surname in Britain. Around 35 in a million people in Britain are named Dunham.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Dunham
- Lena Dunham - American actress, television producer and writer
- Ann Dunham - American anthropologist, mother of Barack Obama (1942 to 1995)
- Joanna Dunham - Actress (1936 to 2014)
- Rosemarie Dunham - Actress (1935 to 2016)
- Kingsley Dunham - Geologist (1910 to 2001)
- Norman Dunham - Cricketer (1925 to 1)
- Francis Dunham - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.