Putnam
A surname from place-names meaning “Putta’s home” or “estate,” originally tied to Puttenham in England.
The #1,971 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,835 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Putnam is generally explained as a reduced or altered form of Puttenham, the name of places in Hertfordshire and Surrey. The place-name goes back to Old English elements meaning “Putta’s home” or “Putta’s estate,” with Putta treated as a personal name and -ham meaning a homestead or settlement. Some 19th-century writers also noted that the surname could have been shortened or reshaped from the place-name over time.
History
English locational surnames like Putnam often arose when people were identified by the village they came from. Historical surname writers specifically connect Putnam with Puttenham, and note that spellings such as Putman reflect ordinary sound changes or scribal simplification. The name became established in England and was carried to North America, where it is now especially familiar as an American surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars called Putman a natural corruption of Putnam, showing how often local English place-names were reshaped in everyday use.
From the historical record
“2 a metathesized form of Putnam, q.v. PUTNAM \ (Eng.) Bel. to Puttenham (Herts; PUTTNAM ] Surrey), the A.-9ax. *Puttanhdm = Putta's Home or Estate [Puitan-, genit. of Putta (v. under Putt") -t- hdm, home, etc.] PUTNEY (Eng.) Bel. to Putney (Surrey), the”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)