British/European
Birmingham
Alabama (AL)est. 1871pop. 196,644/BUR-ming-ham/
The meaning
“Homestead of Beorma's people”
How it got the name
Founded in 1871 where coal, iron ore and limestone all met, the town was named for England's industrial capital as a deliberate advertisement of ambition. Americans say the final -ham; the English original swallows it. The Old English root names the settlement of a chieftain called Beorma.
Former names
- Elyton (absorbed)
- Birmingham