Wirdnam Family History

Probably from Warnham Lane in Compton near Newbury (Berks) which if correctly identified is recorded as Werdham in 1241 and Werdenham in 1252–55. The place-name may derive from an Old English personal name *Wearda (genitive *Weardan) + Old English hamm ‘enclosure hemmed-in land water meadow’.

As with the modern form of the place-name there may have been some variants with loss of -d- and so there may have been some confusion with Wernham; see Richard Wirnam 1637 in IGI (Beedon Berks).