Tatum

Etymology

The historical sources point to Tatum as a reduced or altered form of other English place-derived surnames, especially Tatham and possibly Taunton. The underlying elements in these names are Old English place-name words, including tūn, meaning an estate, farm, or settlement. In other words, Tatum probably began as a surname for someone from a particular place, rather than as a nickname or occupation.

History

Nineteenth-century surname writers treat Tatum as an English local surname rather than a separate root form. In later English-speaking usage it became established in Britain and especially the United States, where it is now a moderately common surname. Because the early evidence is a bit compressed and derivative, the name should be read as a variant-style surname with multiple possible place-name associations rather than one single certain origin.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

The surname appears in old reference works as a shorthand or contracted form of longer place-based names, which is why it can look deceptively simple today.