Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Coccham 798 BCS291 late13th

• (æt) Coccham c.971 ASWills 12th

• (to) Cócham 997 ASWills contemporary

• Cocham s.a.1006 FW 12th

• Cocheham 1086 DB 1157,1164 P

• Cockeham 1175 ib

• Cokeham 1265 Ipm

• Cocham 1156 P

• Coca' 1185 RR

• Koka' 1205 OblR

• Cokam 1212 Fees

• Coukham 1327 SR 1361 Cl

• Cookham 1399 Fine

Etymology

There are several names in -ham by the Thames in this part of the county, for which it is impossible to say whether the second el. is hām or hamm . In the case of Cookham, the situation is appropriate to hamm , but as there are three OE  forms without -mm , hām should probably be preferred.

As regards the first el. the earliest spellings are not consistent.ASWills xvi (2), which is a contemporary parchment, gives Cócham as the name of the place where King Æthelred was holding his council. There is no reason to doubt that this is the royal manor of Cookham, and the later spellings, particularly Coukham 1327, Cookham 1399, support the -ō - of Cócham . The form Coccham occurs, however, in two ME copies of OE charters. The later of these references, from ASWills ix, seems certain to refer to Cookham, as it occurs with other places in Berks and the estate is left to the King.The identification with Cookham of Coccham in BCS 291 seems virtually certain on historical grounds which are discussed in Pt 3(Introd). It seems necessary to assume that the 12th- and 13th-cent. scribes of ASWills ix and BCS 291 substituted Cocc - for Coc - owing to cocc 1 'hill' and cocc 2 'cock' being fairly common in p.ns. whereas cōc is possibly unknown except in this name.

The etymology appears to be 'cook village'. This would be an unusual type of p.n., but might perhaps be compared with Harpham 'harp village' YE 89–90, both names referring to a village noted for a particular activity.

Cock Marsh infra is probably not connected with the parish-name.