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

Durham, 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 Durham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Durham in America

Durham is the 792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Durham surname appeared 43,635 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Durham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Durham 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 Durham

The surname Durham originated in England and is a locational name derived from the city of Durham in the county of Durham. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill and "holm" meaning island or dry ground in a marshy area.

The city of Durham dates back to the 7th century when a monastic cathedral was established on a peninsula formed by a loop in the River Wear. The earliest recorded reference to the name Durham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several individuals with the surname residing in the county of Durham.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Durham was Roger de Dunelm, who lived in the late 12th century and was recorded as holding lands in the county of Durham. Another notable figure was Thomas de Durham, a 13th-century Benedictine monk and chronicler who wrote about the history of the Durham Cathedral Priory.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Dureham, Durram, and Durrham. During this time, a prominent bearer of the name was William de Durham, who was appointed the Bishop of Durham in 1333 and played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in its modern spelling can be found in the records of the University of Oxford, where a student named John Durham was enrolled in 1505.

Other notable individuals with the surname Durham include Edward Durham (1567-1644), an English clergyman and author, and James Durham (1622-1658), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author of several influential theological works.

In the 18th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792-1840), a British politician and colonial administrator who played a significant role in the governance of British North America.

Throughout history, the surname Durham has been associated with individuals from diverse fields, including religion, politics, academia, and literature. The name's origins can be traced back to the historic city of Durham, which played a crucial role in the development of northern England during the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Durham

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

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

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

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