2000
#3,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.19
Rare Last name
Basham
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Bassa's homestead" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,766 Americans carry the last name Basham. That puts it at #4,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basham 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 Basham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,097
Census rank
#4,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,516 bearers of the surname Basham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basham
The surname Basham is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "bæcc" meaning "ridge" or "hill," and "ham" meaning "home" or "settlement." It is believed to have emerged in the 11th century as a locational surname, referring to individuals who resided near a prominent ridge or hill.
During the medieval period, the name was initially recorded with various spellings, such as Baccham, Bacham, and Bakham, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Baccham."
In the 13th century, the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, with the entry "Willelmus de Baccham" recorded in 1230. This suggests that the name was well-established in the northern regions of England by this time.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Basham include Sir William Basham (1557-1624), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, and Robert Basham (1632-1702), an English clergyman and author of religious works.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of John Basham (1736-1819), a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary-le-Strand.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Basham (1804-1877), a British surgeon and medical writer who served as the principal medical officer in the East India Company's Bengal Army. His contributions to the field of tropical medicine were widely recognized during his lifetime.
The 19th century saw the birth of Alfred Harry Basham (1891-1986), a distinguished British historian and indologist known for his seminal work on ancient Indian history and culture, including the book "The Wonder That Was India."
Throughout its history, the name Basham has maintained a connection to its geographical roots, often appearing in areas with prominent ridges or hills, such as the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basham
Among Census respondents with the surname Basham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Basham 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 Basham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 7,586
- Two or more races3.7% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 293
- Black or African American2.7% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basham
Basham 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
#4,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,806
+202 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 257 places
2020
#4,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,516
-290 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,779 | 8,604 | 3.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,036 | 8,806 | 2.99 | +202 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 257 places |
| 2020 | #4,048 | 8,516 | 2.85 | -290 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12 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 Basham 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 | #4,036 | #4,048 | -0.3% |
| Count | 8,806 | 8,516 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.99 | 2.85 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basham bearers went from 8,806 to 8,516 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,036 to #4,048.
FAQ
Basham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basham?
Name Census estimates that about 9,766 living Americans carry the surname Basham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,097 residents.
How common is Basham?
Basham ranks #4,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,516 people with the surname Basham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Basham.
Has Basham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basham went from 8,806 recorded bearers to 8,516. That is a decrease of 290 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,036 to #4,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Basham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Basham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (7,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Basham (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 Basham mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Bassa's homestead" in Old English. 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 Basham (2.85 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 many people have the surname Basham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.