indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location)
Usage English (British)
Other Forms FormsMeasom, Measham, Messom, Messum, Messham, Meysham
Meaning & History
originates from a place called Measham in the county of Leicestershire. The placename is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, as Messeham, and in the Pipe Rolls of the county of 1182 as Meisham. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th century word "meos", meaning a swamp or moss. This is also the name of the River Mease which flows through Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. To this was been added "ham", the Olde English word for a homestead or village, the modern hamlet.