English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Viveham

Early-attested site in the Parish of East Down

Historical Forms

  • Fiffeham 1244 Ass
  • Vyfham 1330 SR

Etymology

This name is difficult. In PN Wo 35 (s. n. Sevenhampton) we saw that groups of seven homesteads (v. ham ) might have some legal significance. This name suggests a group of five , but how such a group could arise is not clear.