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Durham
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  • Used in: 2 countries

Origin: Dunholm

From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of the following syllable (holm), said n denasalised and lenited to the oral r, thus dur. Secondly, after a weakening of the vowel quality in the more weakly-stressed syllable holm, this ending was misanalysed as the similar-sounding toponymic suffix, -ham, meaning home or farm. Doublet of Duresm and Dunelm.

Etymology: Wiktionary (CC-BY-SA)

Popularity by Country

United States Durham Listen Favorite Share Copy

Rank #740
Frequency 42,365 people (15.7 per 100k)
Ethnic Distribution
White 75.5% Hispanic 1.31% Black 20.74% Asian/PI 0.32% Native Am. 0.6% Two+ 1.54%
U.S. Census Bureau Surnames ↗

United Kingdom Durham Listen Favorite Share Copy

Rank #1921

Popularity Over Time (Scotland)

NRS Most Common Surnames 2024 ↗ / NRS Scotland (chart data) ↗

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