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

Chatham, 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 Chatham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chatham in America

Chatham is the 8155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chatham surname appeared 4,066 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 Chatham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chatham 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 Chatham

The surname Chatham originated in England, derived from the town of the same name located in Kent. The earliest recorded spellings of the place name date back to the 8th century, appearing as "Cetham" and "Chetham" in Old English texts.

The name Chatham is believed to come from the Old English words "caet" meaning "barn" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". This suggests that the original settlement may have been centered around a large barn or farmstead. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town is recorded as "Ceteham".

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Chatham was William de Chatham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Kent in 1230. Another early record is that of John de Chetham, listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1284.

During the Middle Ages, the Chatham family was prominent in Kent, with members holding positions of influence in the local community. Notably, Sir John Chatham served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1422.

As the surname spread across England, variations in spelling arose, including Chetham, Cheatham, and Chattam. One notable bearer of this name was Humphrey Chetham (1580-1653), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Manchester, who founded Chetham's Hospital and Library, one of the oldest public libraries in Britain.

Other historical figures with the surname Chatham include Sir John Pardo Chatham (1685-1762), a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station, and William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), a prominent British statesman and Prime Minister during the Seven Years' War.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Edward Chatham, who settled in Virginia in 1623. Another notable American bearing this name was Thomas Chatham (1770-1854), a soldier and politician who served as a brigadier general during the War of 1812.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chatham

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

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

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

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