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

Denham, 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 Denham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Denham in America

Denham is the 4355th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Denham surname appeared 8,156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Denham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Denham 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 Denham

The surname Denham is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "denu" meaning valley and "ham" meaning homestead or village. It is a locational name referring to the village of Denham in Buckinghamshire, England.

Records of the village of Denham date back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Denham". The name is thought to have been derived from the Old English words "denu" and "ham", meaning "homestead or village in the valley".

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Denham was Robert de Denham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1195. Another early bearer was William de Denham, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1281.

The surname Denham has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Denham (1615-1669) was an English poet and courtier who served as the Surveyor of the King's Works under Charles II. He is best known for his poem "Cooper's Hill", which is considered one of the first examples of English topographical poetry.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Denham (1559-1639), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King James I. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Somers Isles (now Bermuda) as an English colony.

In the United States, Denham has been the surname of several notable individuals, including John Denham (1805-1867), a U.S. Representative from Ohio, and William Denham (1856-1904), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of California.

Other notable individuals with the surname Denham include Sir Archibald Denham (1783-1859), a British naval officer and explorer who explored parts of Africa, and Sir John Denham (1829-1910), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of New South Wales and the Bahamas.

Overall, the surname Denham has a rich history dating back to Anglo-Saxon England, with records of bearers appearing in various historical documents and notable individuals from different walks of life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Denham

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

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

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

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