Braham last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Braham

An English surname derived from the Old English word for broom or bramble, referring to someone who lived near such plants.

Braham, 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 Braham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Braham in America

Braham is the 11694th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Braham surname appeared 2,680 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 Braham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Braham 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 11694 13092 -11.28%
Count 2,680 2,143 22.27%
Proportion per 100k 0.91 0.79 14.12%

The history of the last name Braham

The surname Braham has its origins in England, and it is derived from the Old English words "brom" and "ham," which together mean "homestead by the broom plant." This name originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was common for people to be identified by the location of their homestead or village.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Braham can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard de Bromham in Wiltshire. Additionally, the Domesday Book of 1086 mentions several places with similar names, like Bromham in Bedfordshire and Bromham in Wiltshire, suggesting that the name Braham likely emerged from these locations.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Braham was Sir John Braham, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. Another notable figure was John Braham, an English tenor and composer who lived from 1774 to 1856 and was renowned for his performances in operas and oratorios.

In the 16th century, there was a prominent family of Brahams in Lincolnshire, including William Braham, who was born in 1542 and served as a justice of the peace. The Braham family also had connections to the village of Braham in Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the spelling variations of the surname over time.

Another historical figure with the surname Braham was Algernon Braham, an English actor and playwright who lived from 1844 to 1916. He was known for his performances in London's West End theaters and for writing several successful plays.

It is worth noting that the surname Braham has also been associated with various place names, such as Bramham in Yorkshire, Bramham in Bedfordshire, and Bromham in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its connection to geographical locations and the Old English roots of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Braham

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

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 Braham was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 62.05% 1,663
Non-Hispanic Black Only 30.75% 824
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.71% 19
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.22% 6
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.28% 61
Hispanic Origin 3.99% 107

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 Braham has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 62.05% 64.72% -4.21%
Black 30.75% 28.28% 8.37%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.71% 0.61% 15.15%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.22% 0.79% -112.87%
Two or More Races 2.28% 1.96% 15.09%
Hispanic 3.99% 3.64% 9.17%

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 Braham was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Braham, 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!

"Braham last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/braham-surname-popularity/.

"Braham last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/braham-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Braham last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/braham-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.