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.

Peckham

Early-attested site in the Parish of Camberwell

Historical Forms

  • Pecheham 1086 DB
  • Pecham 1178 Merton 1206 Cur 1502 Ipm
  • Peck(h)am 1241,1279 Ass
  • Pekkham 1361 Ipm

Etymology

This name is clearly identical with Peckham (K) which Ekwall (Studies 29) suggests is a compound of OE  pēac , 'hill' and ham .If this is so, the reference must be to the hill to the east of the old village, now Telegraph Hill, to which there is a fairly steep ascent from New Cross.