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The name of Denham Names in general; places were named before people had surnames. In the middle ages the practice of people needing a by name or surname developed, you might be called John Long (physical description) to tell you apart from John Taylor (trade) or John Denhomle (location) or John North (where he came from), or John O’Brian (clan), Fitz (from French fils) meaning son of (often used for bastards).
The Name of Denham may have come from Brittany as “de Dinan” (Dinan is a walled town in North West France population in 1998 was 10,983 [in 1738 population was 6,393; largest in 1985 at 13,429]) and carried to Scotland by Alan, Barron de Dinan. (Probably with the William the Conquer).
In also may have come form the old English “denu” a valley and “ham” a homestead, this being the dweller at the farm in the valley. This is not as romantic as coming from Brittany.
-John Denham, Dublin, Ireland