Birmingham
/ˈbɜːmɪŋəm/noun
A city in the West Midlands of England and the administrative center of the metropolitan borough of Birmingham.
Did you know?The original Beormingas may have been followers or descendants of a man named Beorma, but almost nothing certain is known about him—his name survives mainly through Birmingham.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*haimaz
“Home, dwelling, or settlement; the ancestral root behind the place-name element ham.”
Old English
Old English
hām
“A home, estate, village, or settled dwelling.”
8th–9th Century
Old English
Beormingahām
“The homestead or settlement of the Beormingas, the people associated with Beorma.”
1086
Middle English
Bermingeham
“The settlement recorded in the Domesday Book under an early Norman-era spelling.”
Modern English
English
Birmingham
“The modern form of the city’s name, shaped by centuries of sound change and regional pronunciation.”