Bellingham

English

Etymology

Two origins:

• The suburb of London is named with the Old English personal name Bera, a byname from bera (“bear”), + -ing (“belonging to”) + hām (“homestead”).
• The village in Northumberland is named with Old English belle (“bell”), in reference to a bell-shaped hill, + -ing (“belonging to”) + hām (“homestead”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɛlɪŋəm/
• (Northumberland) IPA^(key): /bɛlɪnd͡ʒəm/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Proper noun

Bellingham (countable and uncountable, plural Bellinghams)

1. (uncountable) A placename:
   1. A suburb in the borough of Lewisham, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3772).
      • 2021, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water, Viking, page 29:

        Bellingham station is a short walk away, and you cut through the park en route.

   2. A village and civil parish in Northumberland, England (OS grid ref NY8383).
   3. A town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States.
   4. A city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States.
   5. A city, the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, United States.
2. A habitational surname from Old English.

Derived terms

• Castlebellingham

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Bellingham is the 47614^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 445 individuals. Bellingham is most common among White (93.93%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Bellingham”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 132.