Dunham is a

toponymic Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a p ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

origin, deriving from several places named Dunham (from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

: ''dun-'' hill, ''-ham'' home).

Variations

Variations in spelling of surname Dunham are found across England, including: in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, Denham; in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

shire and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, Douham; in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Downham Downham is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It borders the London Borough of Bromley, and is located north of Bromley and south of Catford. Downham was named in honour of Lord Downham, who was ...

; and in

Dorsetshire Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , Do ...

, Dynham.

List of people

Individuals with the surname Dunham include: *

Ann Dunham Stanley Ann Dunham (November 29, 1942 – November 7, 1995) was an American anthropologist who specialized in the economic anthropology and rural development of Indonesia. She is the mother of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the Uni ...

, anthropologist and pioneer in the field of microfinance in Southeast Asia for whom the Ann Dunham Soetoro Endowed Fund at the University of Hawaii is named, mother of U.S. President Barack Obama and Maya Soetoro-Ng * Archie W. Dunham, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Conoco Inc., and Horatio Alger Award recipient *

Cyrus L. Dunham Cyrus Livingston Dunham (January 16, 1817 – November 21, 1877) was an attorney, soldier, and prominent Indiana politician, serving most notably as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1849 to 1855. Biography Born in Dryden, New York in 1817 ...

, American Civil War Colonel, U.S. Representative from Indiana *

Emma Bedelia Dunham Emma B. Dunham (, Sargent; pen names, various, including Leoline; August 21, 1826 – September 14, 1910) was an American poet and teacher of the long nineteenth century. She began writing for publication when very young, and continued to write fo ...

(1826–1910), American poet, teacher * Grace Dunham, American poet *

Jack Dunham Jack Dunham (September 19, 1910 – August 16, 2008) was an American animator and television producer who worked for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walter Lantz Productions during his career. Dunham was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, on Septe ...

, American animator and producer * Jack Dunham (psychologist) * Jason L. Dunham, United States Marine Corps Corporal and Medal of Honor awardee for whom the destroyer USS ''Jason Dunham'' (DDG-109) is named *

Jeff Dunham Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...

, American ventriloquist and prop-comedian *

Jeremiah Dunham Botkin Jeremiah Dunham Botkin (April 24, 1849 – December 29, 1921) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. Born near Atlanta, Illinois, Botkin attended the country schools. Spent one year at De Pauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He pursued the ...

, U.S. Representative from Kansas *

Joanna Dunham Joanna Elizabeth Dunham (6 May 1936 – 25 November 2014) was an English actress, best noted for her work on stage and television. She also appeared in several major films. Career Dunham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, the daughter of Peter Bro ...

(1936-2014), British actor *

Jonathan Singletary Dunham Jonathan Dunham (January 17, 1640 – September 6, 1724), known in his early life as Jonathan Singletary, was a prominent early European-American settler of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, who built the first gristmill in New Jersey. He was an an ...

, Member of the New Jersey Provincial Congress *

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ma ...

, American choreographer * Sir Kingsley Charles Dunham, British geologist *

Kurt Dunham Kurt Dunham (born 6 December 1991 in Somerset, Tasmania) is a former Australian professional snooker player. Career Dunham turned professional in 2016 as the Oceania nomination for the 2016–17 season. His two match wins during his first sea ...

, Australian professional snooker player * Lena Dunham, New York-based filmmaker * Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham, grandparent of U.S. President Barack Obama who helped in raising him as a child in Honolulu, Hawaii *

Mark Wentworth Dunham Mark Wentworth Dunham (1842–1899) was an American importer and breeder of horses and the owner of the Oaklawn Farm in Wayne, Illinois, which was at one time the largest horse breeding farm in the world. Life Mark W. Dunham was the son of Sol ...

, known for the introduction and breeding of Percheron horses in America *

Mike Dunham Michael Francis Dunham (born June 1, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Dunham is the Boston Bruins goalie development coach, and the former head goaltending coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey Leag ...

, American ice hockey player *

Ransom W. Dunham Ransom Williams Dunham (March 21, 1838 – August 19, 1896) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Born in Savoy, Massachusetts, Dunham attended the common schools and the high school in Springfield, engaged as a clerk for a life insurance ...

, U.S. Representative from Illinois *

Stanley Armour Dunham Stanley Armour Dunham (March 23, 1918February 8, 1992) was the maternal grandfather of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. He and his wife Madelyn Payne Dunham raised Obama from the age of 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Early life ...

, grandparent of U.S. President Barack Obama who helped in raising him as a child in Honolulu, Hawaii *

Stephen Dunham Stephen Dunham (September 14, 1964 – September 14, 2012) was an American actor, best known as Edward Pillows on the series '' DAG'' and known internationally for his roles as Isaac Henderson in ''The Mummy'' and Dr. Paul Chamberlain in ''Mo ...

(1964-2012), American actor * William Dunham (mathematician) *

William D. Dunham William Douglas Dunham (January 29, 1920 – March 3, 1990) was an American flying ace in the 348th Fighter Group during World War II, scoring 16 aerial victories. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1970 at the rank of brigadier gene ...

(1920-1990), American military flying ace *

William Riley Dunham William Riley Dunham (February 1, 1856 – February 4, 1921), "the man known by name by more men, women and children than any other one man in Tipton County," according to a 1912 issue of the ''Kempton Courier'', was a member of the Indiana Ge ...

(1856-1921), American politician, member of the Indiana General Assembly

In fiction

* Olivia Dunham, FBI agent on TV series Fringe''

References

English-language surnames {{surname, Dunham

Variations

List of people

In fiction

See also

References