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

Iams, 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 Iams surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iams in America

Iams is the 37848th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iams surname appeared 587 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 Iams.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iams 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 Iams

The surname IAMS originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ea" meaning river and "ham" meaning homestead or village, suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived near a river settlement.

The name appears to have emerged in the counties of Warwickshire and Staffordshire, where variations such as Eaham and Eameham were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. These early spellings likely evolved into the modern IAMS over time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Eameham, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1195. Other early recordings include John de Eaham in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221 and William Iames in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

A notable figure in history bearing the IAMS surname was Sir John Iams (c.1530-1595), an English soldier and Member of Parliament who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He participated in military campaigns against the Spanish in the Netherlands and was knighted for his service.

Another individual of note was Thomas Iams (1665-1726), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire who made significant contributions to the construction of local churches and buildings.

In the 18th century, John Iams (1728-1804) was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a captain in the Continental Army and participating in several major battles.

The IAMS surname also has connections to the literary world, with the English poet and clergyman William Iams (1795-1869) being a well-known writer of his time.

Additionally, Sir Charles Iams (1857-1935), a British engineer and industrialist, made significant contributions to the development of railways and infrastructure in India during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iams

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

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

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

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