Oldham

O1L1D2H4A1M3
UK/ɒldəm/

proper noun

A town and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom (OS grid ref SD922053).

OriginOld English eald ← Old Norse holmr →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

proper nounOldham (countable and uncountable, plural Oldhams)

plural Oldhams

  1. A placename
    1. countableuncountableA town and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom (OS grid ref SD922053).
    2. countableuncountableA community in the Regional Municipality of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
    3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States.
    4. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Boone County, Missouri, United States.
    5. countableuncountableA minor city in Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States.
    6. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Oldham County
  2. countableA habitational surname from toponymy.

Origin

  1. Old EnglishAlda
  2. Old Norseholmr“holm, islet”
  3. Old Englisheald“old”
  4. EnglishOldham

Recorded as Aldehulme in the Domesday Book, the English toponym is named with Old English eald (“old”) + Old Norse holmr (“holm, islet”). Or else, the first element may be Old English Alda, a male given name, or the Cumbric/Proto-Brythonic equivalent of Welsh allt (“cliff”).

More words from Old English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Oldham. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldham

MLA

“Oldham.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldham. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Oldham,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldham.

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