Feechum

Recorded as Feacham, Fecknam, Feachum, Feechum and apparently Feechan, this is an English locational surname. It is a dialectal form of the place name Feckenham, a parish in the urban district of Redditch, in the county of Worcester. Such localised or slang forms of place names particularly those ending in '-enham' are relatively popular, Debenham is often Debnam, although they are usually supported by at least some holders of the full name. Not so in this case where we have been unable to identify any surviving examples of the spelling as Feckenham. Locational surnames were usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their former homes to move somewhere else. In so doing the spelling of the name was often changed to a 'sounds like' form, sometimes far removed from the original spelling. The name probably means the place of the Facca tribe, although this is not proven. In this case examples of the surname recording include John Fecknam of Alfrick with Lulsley in Worcestershire, on December 28th 1635, and Elizabeth Feechum who was christened at St James church, Dukes Place, city of London, on June 15th 1679.