Pinkham
An English surname probably built from a place-name ending in -ham, though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #8,841 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,310 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually treated as locational, from an English place-name ending in Old English -ham, meaning “homestead” or “village.” The first element is uncertain: older writers linked it with a Norman form and compared it with other place-based surnames such as Pincombe and Pinkney. Because the early sources are brief and partly speculative, the exact original place or root remains unclear.
History
The surname appears in English surname scholarship as a place-based name, but the historical trail is not very firm. By the 19th century it was already established enough to be noted in lists of family names, and it later became established in North America as well. The name is uncommon, but it has been in steady use in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers sometimes grouped Pinkham with other names ending in -ham, reflecting their strong habit of treating such surnames as village-name surnames.
From the historical record
“a loc. n., Norm. Pinkham. See Pincombe Pinkney. Aloe, n., Northants, Wilts Pinn. A loc. n., Devon. Or Fr. Pin ; G. Pinn ; D.B. Pin ; p.n. See Peen”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)