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

Eleam, 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 Eleam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eleam in America

Eleam is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eleam surname appeared 228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Eleam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eleam 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 Eleam

The surname ELEAM has its origins in the Netherlands, with records indicating its use dating back to the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "elam," which means "misery" or "suffering," suggesting that it may have been a descriptive nickname given to an ancestor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ELEAM surname can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a child named Pieter Eleam was baptized in 1598. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.

During the 17th century, the ELEAM surname appeared in various Dutch records, including the census records of the city of Rotterdam, where a family by the name of Eleam resided in the late 1600s. It is possible that this family migrated from Amsterdam or another part of the Netherlands, contributing to the spread of the surname.

In the 18th century, the ELEAM name was recorded in the parish records of the town of Gouda, where a man named Jacobus Eleam was born in 1712. This indicates that the surname had spread to various regions of the Netherlands by that time.

One notable bearer of the ELEAM surname was Willem Eleam, a Dutch painter who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works, primarily landscapes and still lifes, are held in several Dutch museums and private collections, providing a glimpse into the artistic traditions of the time.

Another historical figure with the ELEAM surname was Hendrik Eleam, a merchant and trader who lived in Amsterdam in the late 18th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative Dutch East Indies trade, contributing to the city's economic prosperity during that period.

In the 19th century, the ELEAM surname gained recognition in the field of academia with the birth of Pieter Eleam, a renowned linguist and scholar born in 1825 in Leiden. His pioneering work on the study of ancient Dutch dialects and their influence on modern Dutch language has been widely recognized and cited by linguists to this day.

As the Dutch colonial empire expanded, the ELEAM surname also found its way to other parts of the world, with records showing individuals bearing this name in Indonesia and South Africa, where Dutch settlers had established communities.

While the ELEAM surname may not be as common as some other Dutch surnames, its historical roots and the contributions of its bearers have left an indelible mark on various aspects of Dutch culture and society over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eleam

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

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

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

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