Malham Family History

English (mainly Yorkshire):: habitational name from Malham (Yorkshire) traditionally pronounced [maləm] or [mɔ:m]. The placename appears to derive from malgum, a word of uncertain origin and meaning, perhaps a dative plural form of Old Norse malgr ‘stony place’ or a dative plural form of Old Norse malr ‘sack bag’ used in the sense ‘pit hollow’.

Alternatively, it could be a habitational name from Malham Farm in Wisborough Green (Sussex), which is probably derived from Old English mǣl ‘cross’ + hām ‘village homestead’ or hamm ‘enclosure water meadow’.