2000
#4,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Bonham
A locational surname derived from the Old English words "bōn" meaning "bone" and "hām" meaning "homestead" or "village."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,054 Americans carry the last name Bonham. That puts it at #5,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,590 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonham 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 Bonham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,590
Census rank
#5,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,151 bearers of the surname Bonham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonham
The surname Bonham has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. The name is thought to have derived from the Old English words "bun" meaning "a boundary" and "ham" meaning "a homestead or village." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a boundary or at the edge of a settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonham appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, the name is spelled "Boneham," referring to a place in Nottinghamshire. The variation in spelling was common in those times, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
The Bonham surname is associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Bonham, a renowned English military commander who lived during the late 16th century (c. 1555-1629). He played a crucial role in the Anglo-Spanish War and was knighted for his bravery and service to the Crown.
Another significant bearer of the Bonham name was Robert Bonham (1711-1776), an influential American planter and politician from South Carolina. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was an active supporter of the American Revolutionary cause.
In the literary realm, Robert Bonham Carter (1891-1957) was a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on World War I and the interwar period. His memoir, "Old Brantonian," published in 1956, offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and times of the early 20th century.
The name Bonham has also been associated with several notable places. For instance, Bonham, Texas, a city located in Fannin County, was named after James Butler Bonham, an early settler and defender of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution.
Throughout its history, the surname Bonham has undergone various spellings and variations, including Bonham, Bonnam, Bonnham, and Bonnam, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times. Despite these variations, the name's origins remain firmly rooted in the English countryside, where it first emerged as a descriptor of one's place of residence near a boundary or settlement edge.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonham
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonham 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 Bonham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 5,297
- Black or African American5.7% · 349
- Two or more races3.7% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonham
Bonham 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
#5,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,832
+299 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#5,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,151
-681 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 343 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,939 | 6,533 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,123 | 6,832 | 2.32 | +299 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #5,466 | 6,151 | 2.06 | -681 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 343 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 Bonham 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 | #5,123 | #5,466 | -6.7% |
| Count | 6,832 | 6,151 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.06 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonham bearers went from 6,832 to 6,151 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 343 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,123 to #5,466.
FAQ
Bonham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonham?
Name Census estimates that about 7,054 living Americans carry the surname Bonham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,590 residents.
How common is Bonham?
Bonham ranks #5,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,151 people with the surname Bonham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bonham.
Has Bonham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonham went from 6,832 recorded bearers to 6,151. That is a decrease of 681 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,123 to #5,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Bonham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (5,297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Bonham (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 Bonham mean?
A locational surname derived from the Old English words "bōn" meaning "bone" and "hām" meaning "homestead" or "village." 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 Bonham (2.06 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 Bonham?
You can see how common the surname Bonham is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.