Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Warran, Warron 1086 DB

• Wharrom 1150–60 Melsa 13th Kirkham

• Sowth Wharrom, Suth Wharrom 1270 Melsa 1316 NomVill

• Wharrom Percy 1351,1352,1368 Percy

• Warham 1190,1193,1195,1197 P 1290 Ebor 1563 FF

• Warrum 1229 Pat 1251 Ch 1267 YI 1273 Ebor

• Hwarru', Hwarhum 1230 P

• Wharhum 1259 Ass

• Wharrum 1279–81 QW 1300 Ebor 1387 Bodl

• West Wharrum, Suth Wharrum 1303 KF

• Wharrum Percy 1370 Baildon

• Quarom 1282 Ebor

• Qwharrum 1311 Percy

• Qwharrum Percy 1384 YD

• Qwarrompercy 1372 Percy

• Sowth Warhom 1285 KI

• Warrom Percy, Suth Warrom 1297 LS

• Warum 1413 Kirkham

• Wharhom Percy 1385 YD

• Wharrome Percy 1508 Test

• Wharame Percy 1572 FF

• Wherumpercy 1546 YChant

Etymology

There is some doubt about the original form of the name, but with other early examples of -ham in place of -um (as in Hotham, Turnham infra 225, 259) we should probably be right in taking it as Hwarrum , with occasional transposition of h (as in Towthorpe supra 134). A possible source of Hwarrum is OE  hwer 'pot, kettle, caldron' in a topographical sense which is not definable and in a Northumbrian by-form hwær . It is, however, more likely that we should take the name back to OScand  hvarfum , dat. plur. of OScand  hvarf 'bend, nook, corner' (cf. NoGN Indledning 58); this word is related to OScand  hverfi 'nook, corner,' etc., OScand  hverfa 'to turn, wander,' OE  hweorfan 'to turn' (cf. NED s.v. wharve ), hwyrfel 'circle, eddy,' and OScand  hvirfill 'hill with a rounded top.' The root idea is 'round,' 'turn,' and it may be applied to either a hill or a river- course. In Wharram it would clearly refer to the valley in which Wharram Percy and Wharram le Street infra stand. This valley, which is practically a dry one, runs in a series of very pronounced S-bends and this would agree closely with the meaning of OScand  hvarf in the common Norw place-name Bækkevar , as well as in Wharfe (WRY) which stands at the foot of a steep hill near a stream which runs in many bends and twists. The assimilation of rf to rr or the loss of f would be unusual, but possible parallels are found in ME  thar for tharf , whirle from OE  hwyrfel , etc. (cf. NED s.v. tharf , whirl ). The same assimilation has taken place in Dan  (Jutland) hvarre and the Dan place-names Hverreløkkesmose (DaSN(S) 58), Versig (DaSN(Sj) iii, 96), all from hvarf .

Wharram Percy belonged to the Percy family (cf. 1251 Ch).