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

Burham, 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 Burham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burham in America

Burham is the 71886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burham surname appeared 271 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burham 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 Burham

The surname BURHAM has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "burna" and "ham," meaning "stream" and "homestead," respectively. This suggests that the name initially referred to individuals who lived near a stream or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BURHAM can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals responsible for the governance of their respective counties. The name appeared as "de Burham," indicating a connection to a specific place.

During the 14th century, variations of the spelling emerged, such as "Burnham" and "Burneham," reflecting the evolving nature of language and regional dialects. These spellings were often associated with particular locations, such as Burnham in Buckinghamshire or Burnham in Norfolk.

Notable individuals bearing the surname BURHAM throughout history include:

1. Sir Richard Burham (c. 1515 - 1584), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. John Burham (c. 1580 - 1642), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Chichester Cathedral.
3. Thomas Burham (c. 1620 - 1689), a prominent merchant and landowner in the county of Somerset during the 17th century.
4. Mary Burham (c. 1745 - 1818), a renowned author and playwright from Worcestershire, known for her satirical works on contemporary society.
5. William Burham (1790 - 1867), a pioneering engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early steam engines and agricultural machinery.

The surname BURHAM has a rich history deeply rooted in the English countryside, with connections to both ancient place names and notable individuals who have left their mark across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burham

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

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

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