Hallam
A habitational surname meaning someone from Hallam, especially Upper Hallam in the old parish of Sheffield.
The #9,712 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,439 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hallam is a place-name surname taken from Hallam, especially Upper Hallam in the Sheffield area, and also from other places called Hallam in Derbyshire and Yorkshire. The name is generally treated as a local surname meaning a person who came from that place. The place-name itself is old and has given rise to the wider regional name Hallamshire.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval forms such as de Hallom/Hallam, showing its use as a locative byname by at least the 14th century. It remained established in northern England and later spread more widely, with variant spellings such as Hallum. Modern bearers in the English-speaking world reflect that regional origin and subsequent migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Hallamshire is an old regional name for the part of South Yorkshire around Sheffield and Ecclesfield, and the surname directly reflects that landscape.
From the historical record
“or mansion in which they resided. HALLAM. There are parishes so called in Derbyshire and Yorkshire, and that part of the West Riding of the latter county which contains the parishes of Shcflield and Ecclesfield is known as Hallamshire. IIALLEKNAVE. A servant (cnajxt^ knave) who waits in iliQ Hall. This name is…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom