2000
#5,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Burcham
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified enclosure" or "castle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,949 Americans carry the last name Burcham. That puts it at #6,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burcham 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 Burcham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,615
Census rank
#6,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,188 bearers of the surname Burcham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burcham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burcham
The surname Burcham has its origins in the English county of Warwickshire, where it is believed to have first appeared in the late 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "burh" meaning a fortified town or manor, and "ham" meaning a homestead or settlement. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a fortified manor or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burcham can be found in the Warwickshire Subsidy Rolls of 1332, where a John de Burcham is listed as a taxpayer. The prefix "de" indicates that the name was originally a place name before becoming a hereditary surname.
The Burcham surname also appears in various spellings in historical records from the 14th to 16th centuries, including Burchham, Burcham, and Bircham. These variations were common before spelling standards were established.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Burcham (c.1420-1490) was a member of the gentry and served as the High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1466. This suggests that the Burcham family had achieved a certain level of status and importance in the region by that time.
Another notable individual was Sir John Burcham (c.1530-1605), who was a military commander and served as the Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted for his services in the suppression of the Northern Rebellion in 1569.
In the 17th century, a clergyman named William Burcham (1612-1675) was the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwick and published several religious works during his lifetime.
Moving into the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Robert Burcham (1712-1785) was involved in the East India trade and amassed a considerable fortune, allowing his descendants to purchase large estates in Warwickshire and surrounding areas.
Finally, in the 19th century, a prominent figure was Sir Edward Burcham (1810-1892), who was a distinguished lawyer and served as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court in British India from 1868 to 1878.
While the Burcham surname originated in Warwickshire, it eventually spread to other parts of England and beyond, carried by those who migrated or sought opportunities elsewhere. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the medieval history of that county, where the name first emerged as a marker of a fortified homestead or village.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burcham
Among Census respondents with the surname Burcham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Burcham 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 Burcham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 4,768
- Two or more races4.2% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burcham
Burcham 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
#6,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,512
+150 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 296 places
2020
#6,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,188
-324 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,909 | 5,362 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,205 | 5,512 | 1.87 | +150 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 296 places |
| 2020 | #6,304 | 5,188 | 1.74 | -324 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 99 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 Burcham 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 | #6,205 | #6,304 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,512 | 5,188 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.74 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burcham bearers went from 5,512 to 5,188 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,205 to #6,304.
FAQ
Burcham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burcham?
Name Census estimates that about 5,949 living Americans carry the surname Burcham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,615 residents.
How common is Burcham?
Burcham ranks #6,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 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 5,188 people with the surname Burcham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,949), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 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 Burcham.
Has Burcham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burcham went from 5,512 recorded bearers to 5,188. That is a decrease of 324 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,205 to #6,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Burcham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burcham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Burcham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (4,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burcham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Burcham (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 Burcham mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified enclosure" or "castle". 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 Burcham (1.74 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 many people have the surname Burcham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.