Nordenham is composed of 35 dorfs, each of which with a history as a separate community: Abbehausen, Abbehauser Groden, Abbehauser Hörne, Abbehauserwisch, Atens, Atenserfeld, Blexen, Blexersande, Blexerwurp, Bulterweg, Butterburg, Einswarden, Ellwürden, Enjebuhr, Esenshamm, Esenshammer Altendeich, Esenshammer Oberdeich, Esenshammergroden, Friedrich-August-Hütte, Grebswarden, Großensiel, Havendorf, Heering, Hoffe, Kloster, Moorseersand, Oberdeich, Phiesewarden, Rahden, Sarve, Schockumerdeich, Schweewarden, Schütting, Tettens, Treuenfeld, and Volkers.

Nordenham evolved from the town of Atens due to the efforts by merchant Wilhelm Müller who traded cattle and sheep to England in the late 19th century.

Between 1499 and 1514, the area was conquered by the County of Oldenburg and in 1813 by the French emperor Napoleon, whose army shot ten local inhabitants at the church in Blexen.

There is a ferry to Bremerhaven at Blexen, though it has suffered from steady declines in passenger numbers ever since the Weser tunnel some 10 km south of Nordenham opened.

A large part of the population of the town - approximately 4,500 persons - is employed in industrial companies including Prysmian, Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke (NSW), Premium Aerotec, Rhenus Midgard, Kronos Titan, Xstrata and NKT Cables