2000
#18,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Bassham
An English habitational surname derived from a place name referring to Bassingham in Lincolnshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,591 Americans carry the last name Bassham. That puts it at #19,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 215,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bassham 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 Bassham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 215,433
Census rank
#19,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,387 bearers of the surname Bassham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassham, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bassham
The surname Bassham is of English origin, derived from a locational name for someone who lived near a bass tree. The name is derived from the Old English words "bærs" meaning "bass tree" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." The name was first recorded in the late 12th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a John de Bassham is mentioned. This suggests that the name originated in the village of Basham or Bassham in Gloucestershire, England.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1242, which mentions a William de Bassham. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name is recorded in various spellings such as Bassehame, Basseham, and Basham. This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
Notable individuals with the surname Bassham include:
1. John Bassham (1916-1986), an American biochemist who made significant contributions to the understanding of photosynthesis.
2. William Bassham (1790-1853), an English botanist and plant collector.
3. Thomas Bassham (1782-1854), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
4. Samuel Bassham (1819-1897), an American politician who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
5. George Bassham (1828-1902), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire.
While the name Bassham is not a particularly common surname, it has a rich history dating back to medieval England. The name's origins can be traced back to a specific location and its meaning is rooted in Old English vocabulary.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bassham
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassham, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bassham 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 Bassham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,220
- Black or African American4.3% · 60
- Two or more races4.0% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bassham
Bassham 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
#18,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,492
+155 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 385 places
2020
#19,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,387
-105 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,892 | 1,337 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,507 | 1,492 | 0.51 | +155 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 385 places |
| 2020 | #19,495 | 1,387 | 0.46 | -105 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 988 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 Bassham 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 | #18,507 | #19,495 | -5.3% |
| Count | 1,492 | 1,387 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.46 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bassham bearers went from 1,492 to 1,387 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 988 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,507 to #19,495.
FAQ
Bassham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bassham?
Name Census estimates that about 1,591 living Americans carry the surname Bassham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 215,433 residents.
How common is Bassham?
Bassham ranks #19,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,387 people with the surname Bassham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Bassham.
Has Bassham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bassham went from 1,492 recorded bearers to 1,387. That is a decrease of 105 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,507 to #19,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bassham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassham, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bassham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bassham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bassham (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 Bassham mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name referring to Bassingham in Lincolnshire. 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 Bassham (0.46 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 Bassham?
See how many people have the last name Bassham on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.