Pelham
A surname taken from one of several places called Pelham in Hertfordshire, England.
The #9,854 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,072 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pelham is a habitational surname, meaning “from Pelham,” referring to one of the Hertfordshire parishes of that name. 19th-century writers generally broke the place-name into an Old English personal name, probably Peola or Pælla, plus a second element meaning “homestead” or “estate.” The surname therefore began as a label for someone who had moved from that place.
History
Medieval records show the name in forms such as de Pelham, and it later became established as a hereditary surname. The Hertfordshire Pelhams include Pelham Brent, Pelham Furneux, and Pelham Stocking, and the name also became prominent in the English nobility, which helped preserve it. Some older writers noted heraldic associations with pelicans in the family arms, though that is a later family tradition rather than the surname’s origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is tied to three neighboring Hertfordshire parishes with the same base name, which is why older books sometimes distinguish them as Pelham Brent, Pelham Furneaux, and Pelham Stocking.
From the historical record
“PEIRSON = Pierson, q.v, PELHAM (Eng.) Bel. to Pelham (Herts), 13th cent. Pelham [the first element is prob. an A.-Sax. pers. name Peola, or Pcella; the second, O.E., Wot, home, estate] " PELISSIER (Fr.-Lat.) the common French Pelissier, Pelissier = Fvrkiek [f. Fr. pelisse; Lat, pellici-us, of skins— pellis, a hide…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Pelham
- Henry Pelham (1694–1754)
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1693–1768)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.