| ![Show Contents]() Odom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Odom has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in Oldham, in Lancashire. This was a town near the city of Manchester; it has since been absorbed by that city. The place-name Oldham is derived from the Old English elements old, which means old, and ham, which means farm. The place-name therefore translates as "the old farm." Alternatively, Oldham could have meant "dweller by the long-cultivate river flat." 1 Early Origins of the Odom familyThe surname Odom was first found in Lancashire at Oldham, an enfranchised borough, a parochial chapelry, and the head of a union, in the parish of Prestwich, hundred of Salford. Now part of Greater Manchester, the first record of the placename was found in 1226-1228 when it was listed as Aldholm. 2 "Oldham was for a long period celebrated for the manufacture of hats, which was established so early as the fifteenth century." 3 Another possible origin of the name was found. "This place [(Werneth, Lancashire) which adjoins to the town of Oldham], anciently Fernet, was held in the reign of Henry III. by Alwardus de Aldholme, founder of the family of Oldham. His daughter and co-heiress conveyed the manor to the Cudworths, a branch of a Yorkshire family; and from them the estate passed by sale to Sir Ralph Assheton, of Middleton." 3 We can only assume that both sources are referring to that same family at different times. Early rolls list the first record of the name not in Lancashire but as Achard de Aldeham in the Feet of Fines for Kent. Richard de Oldham was listed in Lancashire in 1384. 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Agnes de Oldom and Robertus de Oldom. 4 Further to the north, Hoddam is parish in the county of Dumfries, Scotland. "This parish comprehends the ancient parishes of Hoddam, Luce, and Ecclesfechan, which were united in 1609. Hoddam, in ancient charters, is spelt Hodholm and Hodolm, signifying 'the head of the holm,' and is supposed to have derived that appellation from its situation on the bank of the river Annan, where the ground is flat and rich, and what is usually called holm land." 5 Early History of the Odom familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Odom research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1452, 1480, 1486, 1505, 1519, 1653 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Odom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Odom Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Odom have been found, including Oldham, Oldum, Oldan, Oldhams and others. Early Notables of the Odom familyAnother 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Odom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Odom RankingIn the United States, the name Odom is the 888th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 6
 Odom migration to the United States | + |
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Odom, or a variant listed above:
Odom Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John Odom, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 7
Odom Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Aida Odom, aged 21, who landed in America from Paris, in 1903
- Sandy Odom, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1910
- Thomas D Odom, aged 28, who immigrated to America, in 1919
- Frank Odom, aged 28, who landed in America, in 1920
- Gardner Odom, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Odom (post 1700) | + |
- Cliff Odom (b. 1958), American baseball player
- General William Odom (1932-2008), former director of the U.S. National Security Agency
- Vernon Odom (b. 1948), American journalist
- Lamar Odom (b. 1979), American basketball player
- John C. Odom (1982-2008), American baseball player
- Dave Odom (b. 1942), American basketball coach
- Blue Moon Odom (b. 1945), American baseball player
- Antwan Odom (b. 1981), American football player
- Charles B. Odom, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1960 8
- Bob Odom, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 2000, 2004 8
- ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Suggested Readings for the name Odom | + |
- My Mother Nancy and Her Oldhams by Jessye Ann High.
- A Genealogy of the Little-Odom Family of Georgia and North Carolina by Lawrence L. Little.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Odom migration to the United States 
England
Scotland
