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

Burnham, 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 Burnham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burnham in America

Burnham is the 2315th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burnham surname appeared 15,775 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Burnham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burnham 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 Burnham

The surname BURNHAM is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "burna" meaning a stream or brook, and "ham" referring to a homestead or village. It is believed to have originated in England during the 7th to 11th centuries as a locational name for people who lived near a prominent brook or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BURNHAM surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This ancient record documents several places named Burnham, including those in Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Somerset.

During the Middle Ages, the BURNHAM name was predominantly found in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Norfolk, where it is believed to have originated from various place names such as Burnham-on-Crouch, Burnham Norton, and Burnham Overy. These locations were often named after the nearby streams or brooks.

Notable historical figures bearing the BURNHAM surname include Richard Burnham (1711-1752), an English explorer and naval captain who explored the South Pacific, and Hiram Burnham (1709-1789), an American manufacturer and politician who served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Another prominent individual was William Burnham (1779-1843), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Mint and the Royal Opera House. Additionally, Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-1881), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, gained fame for his distinctive style of facial hair known as "sideburns."

The BURNHAM name has also been associated with several places, such as Burnham-on-Sea, a town in Somerset, England, and Burnham, a village in Buckinghamshire, both of which likely derived their names from the Old English words for a homestead near a stream.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burnham

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Burnham, please contact us.

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