FELTHAM
The surname Feltham is of English origin and is classically a locational surname. It is inherited from the names of two early English villages, one situated in the county historically known as Middlesex and the other in Somerset. Both villages were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1066, where the Middlesex settlement is listed as Felteham and the Somerset settlement as Feltam. These early spellings illustrate the development of the name through the centuries.
In etymological terms, the surname is derived from the Old English words feld, meaning “field”, and ham, meaning “homestead” or “enclosure”. Consequently, the literal meaning of Feltham is interpreted as “the homestead or enclosure in the field”. Some early commentators have proposed that the name also conveys the sense of a “hay farm”, a common livelihood in the medieval period, for which the villages were noted.
Although the name Feltham can occasionally be confused with the similar surname Felton, the origins are distinct. Felton is derived from several villages across England that bear that name, whereas Feltham traces specifically to the two Domesday settlements mentioned above. This distinction is accentuated by the differing parental, or locational, etymologies of the two surnames.
Recorded evidence of the surname from the 16th and 17th centuries substantiates its long-standing use. Among the earliest formal records is that of Marie Feltham, who married Hugh Brinkloe at St Mary Le Bow, London, on 13 October 1545 during the reign of King Henry VIII. Subsequent entries include Elizabeth Feltam, who married Robert Oliver at Horsington, Somerset, on 16 November 1581; Hieronyme Feltham, christened at Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, on 23 June 1605 in the year of the Gunpowder Plot; John Feltham of Horsington, recorded 14 January 1601; and David Feltham of Wincanton, Somerset, documented on 22 November 1629. These dates provide clear evidence of the surname's presence in both London and the South West of England.
The heraldic badge associated with the Feltham name was granted in Somerset. The blazon records a black field charged with two ermine bars, and above the bars, in chief, are three leopards' faces all rendered in gold. This coat of arms has recurred in several genealogical accounts concerning the family, confirming the surname’s aristocratic recognition within the region.
Modern bearers of the surname thus carry a name that links them to a specific location within the British Isles, to the agricultural past of England, and to a family heritage documented in medieval and post‑medieval records. The formal British spelling of the name and its historical associations reflect its enduring place within English onomastic tradition.
Typical given names associated with the Feltham surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- William
Female
- Christine
- Emma
- Jane
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Lorraine
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
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 Feltham in...
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There are approximately 2,508 people named Feltham in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,501st most common surname in Britain. Around 39 in a million people in Britain are named Feltham.
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 Feltham
- Christopher Feltham - 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.