indicate the level to which a name has been verified.Type Surname (from given name, from occupation & from location)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈhɛlm/(English, German) /ˈɦɛlm/(Dutch) [ˈɦɛɫm](Dutch) [ˈhɛɫm](Dutch) [ˈɦɛ.ləm](Dutch) [ˈhɛ.ləm](Dutch) [key·simplify]
Other Forms FormsHelms (English, Dutch), Helmm (German)
Meaning & History
Either from Old English helm "protection covering" (in later northern English dialects "cattle shelter barn"). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire). A metonymic occupational name for a maker of helmets from Middle High German Middle Dutch helm. Or from a medieval personal name Helm a short form of any of various compound names formed with helm "helmet".