PERHAM
Perham is an English surname whose root lies in the Old English words pere or perry, meaning “pear tree”, and ham, meaning “homestead” or “enclosure”. The name is thus locational, indicating that the earliest bearers of the surname lived near or were associated with a pear‑tree homestead or orchard.
Records of the name appear in a range of spellings, including Parham, Perham, Parram and Perram, reflecting the lack of standardised orthography in medieval England. A notable early mention is that of Turmod de Perham, dated 1086 in the Domesday Book for Suffolk, while another record names William de Parham of Norfolk in 1264.
The surname is linked to the villages of Parham in Suffolk and Sussex. Both villages derive their names from the Old English pre‑7th‑century word peru meaning “pear” and the suffix ham; the composite therefore describes a settlement centred on a pear orchard. In the Middle Ages, such locational surnames served to distinguish people who had moved away from their native home, often by appending “de” or “of” to the place name.
Variants that have evolved over the centuries include Perram, Perrum, Perrim, Parham, Pearham and a handful of forms such as Persian, Peerham and Piram. The spread of these spellings reflects regional pronunciation differences and the movement of families.
In the modern era the name is predominantly found in the United Kingdom, where it appears among the broader list of common surnames. Diaspora records show the surname in the United States, particularly in New England, as well as in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and South Africa, a result of successive waves of British emigration.
Thus the surname Perham is firmly rooted in English linguistic history, with a clear geographic origin and a descriptive meaning tied to the pear tree, a plant that has long symbolised resilience in the cultural imagination. Its sustained presence across Britain and the wider Commonwealth attests to the enduring nature of this locational name.
Typical given names associated with the Perham surname
Male
- Daniel
- David
- Matthew
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Roger
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Carol
- Catherine
- Daisy
- Denise
- Dorothy
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tanya
- Yvonne
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 Perham in...
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There are approximately 557 people named Perham in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around nine in a million people in Britain are named Perham.
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 Perham
- Michael Perham - Sailed across Atlantic at 14
- Linda Perham - Politician
- Michael Perham - Bishop of Gloucester; Dean of Derby (1947 to 2017)
- Margery Perham - Historian and writer on African affairs (1895 to 1982)
- Richard Perham - Molecular biologist (1937 to 2015)
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.