2000
#740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.70
Uncommon Last name
Durham
From the Old English for "deer home," referring to a town, village, or place where deer were common.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,345 Americans carry the last name Durham. That puts it at #817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durham 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 Durham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,240
Census rank
#817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,287 bearers of the surname Durham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durham, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durham
Among Census respondents with the surname Durham, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Durham 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 Durham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 28,896
- Black or African American21.3% · 8,779
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,985
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 1,202
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 210
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durham
Durham 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
#792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,635
+1,270 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 14.79
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,287
-2,348 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 13.81
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #740 | 42,365 | 15.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #792 | 43,635 | 14.79 | +1,270 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #817 | 41,287 | 13.81 | -2,348 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 25 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 Durham 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 | #792 | #817 | -3.2% |
| Count | 43,635 | 41,287 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 14.79 | 13.81 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durham bearers went from 43,635 to 41,287 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #792 to #817.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Durham
FAQ
Durham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durham?
Name Census estimates that about 47,345 living Americans carry the surname Durham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,240 residents.
How common is Durham?
Durham ranks #817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,287 people with the surname Durham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Durham.
Has Durham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durham went from 43,635 recorded bearers to 41,287. That is a decrease of 2,348 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #792 to #817.
What does the Census say about the background of Durham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durham, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Durham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (28,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.0%), Black (21.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Durham (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 Durham mean?
From the Old English for "deer home," referring to a town, village, or place where deer were common. 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 Durham (13.81 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 common is the surname Durham?
You can see how common the surname Durham is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.