Bellingham

B3E1L1L1I1N1G2H4A1M3
UK/ˈbɛlɪŋəm//ˈbɛlɪnd͡ʒəm/

proper noun

A suburb in the borough of Lewisham, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3772).

OriginOld English belle →
Less commonScrabble 18
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Meanings

proper nounBellingham (countable and uncountable, plural Bellinghams)

plural Bellinghams

  1. A placename:
    1. countableuncountableA suburb in the borough of Lewisham, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ3772).

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

      2021, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water, Viking, page 29
    2. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in Northumberland, England (OS grid ref NY8383).
    3. countableuncountableA town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States.
    4. countableuncountableA city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States.
    5. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, United States.
    6. countableuncountableA coastal settlement in George Town council area, northern Tasmania, Australia.
  2. countableuncountableA habitational surname from Old English.

Origin

  1. Old Englishbelle“bell”
  2. EnglishBellingham

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”)

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Bellingham. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bellingham

MLA

“Bellingham.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bellingham. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bellingham,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bellingham.

Source: Bellingham on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.