Oldham
An English habitational surname meaning someone from Oldham in Lancashire, or from a similarly named old enclosure or landform.
The #2,792 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,882 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The main explanation is habitational: Oldham comes from the place name Oldham in Lancashire. The name is usually analyzed as Old English eald, meaning “old,” plus hamm, meaning an enclosure, river meadow, or land hemmed in by water or marsh. Some writers also allowed a related sense of “old holm,” but the enclosure interpretation is the standard one in the sources.
History
Oldham is recorded in medieval forms such as Aldholm and Oldom, showing the gradual stabilization of the modern spelling. The surname would have been adopted by people who left the Lancashire place and were identified by their origin. It later spread beyond northern England, and modern bearers are found well outside the original district.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Lancashire town of Oldham sits in a river-rich area, which fits the old meaning of hamm as enclosed land by water.
From the historical record
“Wood [M.E. alder, alter, O.E. aler, alder- tree+M.E. 'shaw(e, O.E. sc(e)aga, r wood] OLDHAM (Eng.) Dweller at i the Old En- closure or Field [O.E. e)ald + hamm} 2 the Old Holm (Riparian Land) , [Dial. E. holm, river-island, 'flat land near \ water '; O.E. Mm] Oldham, Lanes, early 13th ceiit. Aid- holm', 14th cent.…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)