Burnham

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place name borne by several English villages and towns, notably a seaside resort on the Somerset coast ; a family name carried by various people in Britain and America
2. The name of several English settlements, including a coastal town in southwest England ; a surname held by a number of notable individuals
3. Designating a few English localities, one of them a resort on the Somerset coast ; a hereditary surname shared by several historical figures

Etymology: Burnham is a place name built from two Old English elements: "burna", meaning "stream", and either "hām", meaning "homestead", or "hamm", meaning "water meadow". Together they describe a settlement beside a stream, and the two possible second elements show how the name could be read either way. Because the stream was the defining feature of the site, the name usually comes down to a place where people lived or farmed by running water. Many English villages and towns share this name, which is typical of place names formed from common Old English words. Each one arose independently wherever a settlement sat beside a suitable brook, so the same two elements appear across the country. The name therefore tells you little about any one village beyond its landscape.