Dillingham

Dillingham is a surname of Old English origin, primarily a habitational name derived from a place called Dillingham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself is composed of three elements: 'Dylling' (a personal name or a tribal name derived from 'dyll' meaning 'dull' or 'slow'), '-ing' (a suffix denoting 'people of' or 'settlement of'), and 'ham' (meaning 'homestead' or 'village'). Thus, Dillingham literally means 'the homestead of Dylling's people'. The surname has been in use since at least the Domesday Book era, indicating its ancient roots in English history. Over time, like many surnames, it has occasionally been adopted as a given name, though it remains far more common as a family name.