Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Meltha' 1086 DB

• Meltham 1255 FF 1297 LS 1328 YDi 1347,1361 DodsN 1588 LS

• Melthame 1583 WillY 1608 FF

• Melteham 13 YDi 1388 DodsN

• Muletham 1316 Vill

• Meltam 1405 YD 1421 YDi

Etymology

Both Goodall and Ekwall base their etymologies on the 1316 spelling Muletham , Goodall deriving the name from a Swed  dial. word mylte 'cloudberry' and Ekwall from an OE  mylengeat 'mill-gate', but the 1316 Vill spellings tend to be unreliable and neither of these suggestions will account for what are the obviously predominant and original Melt (e )ham forms; OE y does not become e in YW (cf. Phonol. § 33). There is an ON  byname Mjalti , which would accord with the spellings, but it would be unusual to have a hybrid compound with OE  hām 'homestead'. Moorman proposed that the first el. should be connected with OE  meltan 'to melt, consume by fire'; we may also add YW dial. melt 'to prepare barley for fermentation' (cf. ON melta 'to make malt'); the exact form of the first el. cannot be determined, but it could be either *melt 'melting, smelting, malting' or *melta 'smelter'; there are old coal workings in this township.