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

Dam, 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 Dam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dam in America

Dam is the 10114th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dam surname appeared 3,186 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 Dam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dam 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 Dam

The surname "DAM" is believed to have originated in the Netherlands and Belgium during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch word "dam," which means a barrier or embankment constructed to hold back water. This name was likely given to someone who lived near a dam or was responsible for maintaining one.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "DAM" can be found in the Dutch town of Gouda, where a certain Jan Dam is mentioned in a legal document dated 1367. The name was also present in other parts of the Low Countries, such as the city of Bruges, where a merchant named Willem Dam is recorded in a trade register from the 15th century.

In the Netherlands, the surname "DAM" has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Nicolaes Dam, a Dutch painter who lived from 1647 to 1687 and is known for his still-life paintings depicting household objects and flowers.

Another prominent figure with the surname "DAM" was Hendrik Dam, a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1672 to 1677. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Nijmegen, which ended the Franco-Dutch War.

In Belgium, the name "DAM" can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing a family by that name living in the city of Ghent. One notable Belgian with this surname was Pieter Dam, a renowned painter and engraver who lived from 1642 to 1705 and is known for his etchings depicting landscapes and rural scenes.

The surname "DAM" also found its way to other parts of Europe, such as Germany, where it was sometimes spelled as "DAMM." In the 18th century, a German mathematician named Christian Dam made important contributions to the field of calculus and published several works on the subject.

Another individual of note was Willem Dam, a Dutch navigator and explorer who accompanied the famous explorer Abel Tasman on his voyages to Australia and New Zealand in the 1640s. Dam played a crucial role in mapping and documenting the newly discovered lands.

While the surname "DAM" has its roots in the Netherlands and Belgium, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it continues to be used by descendants of Dutch and Belgian immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dam

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

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

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

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