2000
#68,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Badham
A name derived from a place name, referring to someone from Badham in Somerset, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 286 Americans carry the last name Badham. That puts it at #81,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,198,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Badham surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Badham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
286
1 in 1,198,442
Census rank
#81,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
249
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 249 bearers of the surname Badham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Badham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Badham
The surname Badham is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, derived from a place name that incorporated the Old English elements "bæd" (meaning "bed" or "resting place") and "ham" (meaning "homestead" or "settlement").
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Badham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Badeham." This suggests that the name may have arisen from a particular location or settlement known as "Badeham" during the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with spellings such as "Baddeham" and "Badeham." These variations likely reflect the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
One notable person bearing the Badham surname was John Badham, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Cambridge from 1555 to 1557.
Another historical figure with this surname was William Badham, born in 1779, who was a renowned English classical scholar and academic. He served as the headmaster of Ipswich School and later became the Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1828 until his death in 1853.
In the 19th century, Charles David Badham (1806-1857) was a notable English classical scholar and editor who contributed significantly to the study of ancient Greek literature. He is best known for his critical editions of several works by Greek playwrights.
Moving into the 20th century, Mary Badham (born in 1952) is an American former actress who gained recognition for her portrayal of Scout in the 1962 film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Additionally, Paul Badham (1929-2009) was a British theologian and philosopher who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral from 1976 to 1992. He made significant contributions to the field of Christian ethics and social theology.
While the surname Badham is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, including academia, literature, and religion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Badham
Among Census respondents with the surname Badham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Badham bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Badham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 200
- Two or more races6.8% · 17
- Black or African American6.0% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Badham
Badham appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#74,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 258
-11 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,466 places
2020
#81,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 249
-9 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 7,003 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,360 | 269 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,826 | 258 | 0.09 | -11 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,466 places |
| 2020 | #81,829 | 249 | 0.08 | -9 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 7,003 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Badham surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #74,826 | #81,829 | -9.4% |
| Count | 258 | 249 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Badham bearers went from 258 to 249 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 7,003 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,826 to #81,829.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Badham
FAQ
Badham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Badham?
Name Census estimates that about 286 living Americans carry the surname Badham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,198,442 residents.
How common is Badham?
Badham ranks #81,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 249 people with the surname Badham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (286), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Badham.
Has Badham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Badham went from 258 recorded bearers to 249. That is a decrease of 9 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #74,826 to #81,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Badham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Badham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Black (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Badham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Badham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Black (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Badham (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Badham mean?
A name derived from a place name, referring to someone from Badham in Somerset, England. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Badham (0.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Badham?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Badham at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.