2000
#78,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Botham
A Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Old English place name "Botham," meaning a settlement or homestead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 260 Americans carry the last name Botham. That puts it at #87,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,318,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Botham 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 Botham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
260
1 in 1,318,286
Census rank
#87,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
227
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 227 bearers of the surname Botham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Botham, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Botham
The surname Botham has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 9th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'botl' and 'ham', which together mean 'dwelling by the building'. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was 'Botelham' in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a survey of much of England and parts of Wales.
In the 12th century, the name was found in various records and manuscripts, often spelled as 'Botham' or 'Boteham'. These spellings suggest that the name was associated with people who lived in places called Botham or Boteham, which were likely small settlements or hamlets.
The first recorded person with the surname Botham was William de Boteham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194. Another early instance of the name is Robert de Botham, who was recorded in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1273.
During the Middle Ages, the Botham surname was found in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Staffordshire. Some notable individuals with the name include John Botham, who was born in Yorkshire in 1460 and served as a Member of Parliament for Beverley in 1491, and Thomas Botham, born in Lincolnshire in 1542, who was a prominent landowner and local magistrate.
In the 17th century, the Botham family appeared to have settled in Lancashire, where they were involved in various trades and professions. One notable figure from this period was Richard Botham, born in 1623, who was a successful merchant and served as the Mayor of Preston in 1679.
Another significant individual with the surname Botham was Sir William Botham, born in Lancashire in 1723. He was a prominent politician and served as the Member of Parliament for Wigan from 1768 to 1790. His son, also named William Botham, was born in 1755 and followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a Member of Parliament for Wigan from 1790 to 1806.
While the surname Botham has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Botham
Among Census respondents with the surname Botham, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Botham 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 Botham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 5
- Two or more races2.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Botham
Botham 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
#76,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
+26 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 2,305 places
2020
#87,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
-24 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 11,414 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,838 | 225 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,533 | 251 | 0.09 | +26 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 2,305 places |
| 2020 | #87,947 | 227 | 0.08 | -24 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 11,414 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 Botham 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 | #76,533 | #87,947 | -14.9% |
| Count | 251 | 227 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Botham bearers went from 251 to 227 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 11,414 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,533 to #87,947.
FAQ
Botham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Botham?
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the surname Botham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,318,286 residents.
How common is Botham?
Botham ranks #87,947 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 227 people with the surname Botham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (260), 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 Botham.
Has Botham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Botham went from 251 recorded bearers to 227. That is a decrease of 24 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #76,533 to #87,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Botham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Botham, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Botham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Botham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Botham (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 Botham mean?
A Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Old English place name "Botham," meaning a settlement or homestead. 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 Botham (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 Botham?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Botham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.