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

Eastham, 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 Eastham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eastham in America

Eastham is the 13456th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eastham surname appeared 2,263 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 Eastham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eastham 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 Eastham

The surname Eastham is of English origin, derived from the place name Eastham, a village located in the Wirral peninsula in Cheshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.

The name Eastham is a locational surname, meaning it was initially given to someone who lived in or came from the village of Eastham. The Old English word "east" means "east," and "ham" refers to a homestead or village, indicating that the name likely referred to a village situated to the east of a particular location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eastham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions "Estre-ham" as a manor in Cheshire. This historical record suggests that the name and the village were well-established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Estham" and "Esteham," reflecting the evolution of the English language over time. During this period, the Eastham family was known to have held land and properties in the Wirral area.

Notable individuals with the surname Eastham include Sir William Eastham (c. 1520-1594), an English politician and landowner who served as the Sheriff of Cheshire in 1586. Another prominent figure was Robert Eastham (1615-1690), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, John Eastham (1738-1813) was a notable English engraver and artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. Edward Eastham (1755-1828) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

More recently, James Eastham (1924-2010) was a British actor and playwright who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout his career. He is best known for his roles in popular series like Doctor Who and Fawlty Towers.

While the surname Eastham is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history, deeply rooted in the ancient village from which it originated. The name has been carried by individuals of note across various fields, including politics, religion, art, and entertainment, spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eastham

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

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

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

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