Wortham
From an Old English surname meaning "estate by the enclosure".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Wortham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wortham today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wortham births was 1926 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wortham. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wortham. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1926
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1926 SSA rank
#4,829
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Wortham: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wortham by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wortham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wortham
The name Wortham has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period of the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wurth" meaning "worth" or "value" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." The combination of these words suggests that the name Wortham may have originally referred to a valuable or esteemed homestead or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wortham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a place called "Wortham" in Suffolk, England, indicating that the name was already in use as a place name during the Norman conquest of England.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period, the name Wortham appears to have been primarily associated with various locations in England, particularly in Suffolk and Norfolk. It is likely that the name was initially adopted as a surname by individuals who hailed from or lived in these areas bearing the name Wortham.
The earliest known individual with the first name Wortham was Wortham de Wortham, a nobleman who lived in Suffolk in the late 12th century. He was recorded as holding lands in the village of Wortham, which further reinforces the connection between the name and the place.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Wortham de Wortham, who lived in the 14th century and served as a knight in the service of King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War with France. He participated in several battles and is mentioned in historical accounts of the time.
In the 16th century, Wortham Petty was a prominent English merchant and trader who was involved in the early exploration and colonization efforts in North America. He financed several voyages to the New World and was instrumental in establishing trade routes and settlements.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Wortham Cary was a Puritan minister and author who supported the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I. He wrote several religious treatises and sermons that reflected the Puritan values of the time.
In the 18th century, Wortham Whittingham was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including churches and country estates. His work was heavily influenced by the Georgian and Palladian architectural styles popular during that period.
People
Wortham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wortham as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wortham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wortham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wortham going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Wortham a common name?
We classify Wortham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wortham most popular?
The single biggest year for Wortham was 1926, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wortham is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wortham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wortham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wortham in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wortham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wortham in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wortham can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Wortham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.