-
an Old
English word,
- a
Cornish word originating in Devonshire,
- a
Caithness surname of local origin in Scotland from the small place of
the name near Dunnet,
- the
surname HAM of French origin does not have to be translated into
English, it is spelled the same.
- and it
is also referred to as a Celtic word.
The Celtic word "
ham" means
a place name, such as a
home
or
farm. The Old English
word "
hamm" meant an
enclosed piece of
land, or a low lying land by a stream. The most common Old English
terms denoting habitiation are "
ham"
and "
tun." "ham" is the
more
ancient, and more frequently compounded with folk names. The term "tun"
originally meant fence or hedge, then eventually came to mean an estate
or manor, then gradually came to mean a "hamlet" or "Village." Today,
the version of "tun" that we are familiar with is now called a
"town." Examples of combinations of the word would be Hampton,
Higham, and Asheldham.
timeline:
378 AD
- A fire destroys the city of Ham in the Department of the Somme,
France
500 AD
- The Caithness word would date from this time frame, referring
to the location in Scotland near Dunnet.
765 AD
- Higham Upshire dates from this period.
876
AD - The City of Ham in France becomes the capital of a small
country called "Hamois," which by 888 becomes attached to Vermandois.
900
AD - The City of Ham in France is used to describe the
location of the Lords of that region.
1200 AD -
The HAM place name begins to be used more widely to describe the
location of local inhabitants in England.
1226 AD - The city of Hamm is founded in west central Germany in
the Ruhr district, southeast of Munster.
further reading:
Regia Anglorum - The Language of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings:
http://www.regia.org/languag.htm
To view the distribution of the Danes' influence on names in England:
http://www.viking.no/e/england/danelaw/ekart-danelaw.htm
Dave
Hamm