Find out how popular the last name Beacham is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beacham.

Beacham, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beacham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beacham in America

Beacham is the 9570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beacham surname appeared 3,396 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Beacham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beacham to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Beacham

The surname Beacham is believed to have originated from the Old English words "bēac" meaning stream or brook, and "ham" meaning homestead or village. This suggests that the name likely originated in England, referring to someone who lived near a stream or in a village with a stream running through it.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name Beacham dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Becham" in Oxfordshire. This entry suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Becheham" and "Bekham" can be found in various historical records and documents from counties like Berkshire and Wiltshire. These variations likely stemmed from different regional dialects and pronunciations of the name.

One notable historical figure with the surname Beacham was Sir John Beacham (1556-1624), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Berkshire in the early 17th century.

Another prominent individual was William Beacham (1670-1741), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset, who was instrumental in the development of the town of Frome during the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the name Beacham was particularly prevalent in the county of Gloucestershire, with several families of that name residing in villages such as Avening and Nailsworth. One notable individual from this period was John Beacham (1815-1892), a notable architect and builder responsible for numerous churches and public buildings in the region.

Moving into the 20th century, the name Beacham gained some literary recognition with the author Stella Beacham (1908-1988), whose novels and short stories often explored themes of rural life and the English countryside.

Another noteworthy figure was Sir Arnold Beacham (1923-2002), a prominent British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and educational institutions.

Overall, the surname Beacham has a rich history deeply rooted in the English countryside and villages, with its origins dating back to the 11th century and beyond. While the name may have evolved in spelling over the centuries, its connection to streams and homesteads has remained a consistent theme throughout its long and fascinating history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beacham

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beacham.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beacham was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beacham has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beacham was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beacham, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!