2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duckham
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "duck" and "ham" (homestead).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Duckham. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duckham surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duckham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Duckham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duckham
The surname DUCKHAM is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "duc" meaning duck and "ham" meaning a homestead or village. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a duck pond or in a village where ducks were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Ducheham" in the county of Oxfordshire.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded as "Duckham" in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230. These were administrative records that documented financial transactions and taxation.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often associated with rural areas and villages, as it reflected the connection to duck farming or the presence of ducks in the local environment.
Some notable individuals with the surname DUCKHAM throughout history include:
1. Robert Duckham (born circa 1560), an English landowner and politician who served as a member of parliament for Wiltshire in the late 16th century.
2. William Duckham (1673-1741), a prominent English merchant and trader who established trading routes with the West Indies and North America.
3. Elizabeth Duckham (1779-1842), an English author and poet who wrote several collections of poems and hymns during the early 19th century.
4. John Duckham (1845-1913), a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
5. Henry Duckham (1892-1972), a British soldier who served in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
The name DUCKHAM has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Duckham Green in Hertfordshire and Duckham Farm in Gloucestershire, reflecting the origin and connection of the name to rural settlements and locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duckham
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Duckham bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duckham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duckham
Duckham appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,726 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duckham surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #147,954 | -6.3% |
| Count | 120 | 112 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duckham bearers went from 120 to 112 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,726 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,954.
FAQ
Duckham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duckham?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Duckham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Duckham?
Duckham ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Duckham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Duckham.
Has Duckham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duckham went from 120 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Duckham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duckham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duckham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duckham (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duckham mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "duck" and "ham" (homestead). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duckham (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Duckham?
Find out how many people have the last name Duckham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.