Meaning & History
Habitational name from any of various places so called, particularly those in Essex, Lincolnshire, and Somerset, though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht ‘curve, bend’ + hām ‘village, homestead’. North and South Witham in Lincolnshire take their names from the river Witham (of uncertain origin). Witham on the Hill (Lincolnshire) may derive from the Old English personal name Witta or Wita, Old English wita ‘councillor’, or wiht ‘curve, bend’ + hām. The Somerset placename derives from the Old English personal name Witta or Wita or Old English wita + hām.