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

Laham, 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 Laham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Laham in America

Laham is the 47878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Laham surname appeared 442 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 Laham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Laham 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 Laham

The surname LAHAM has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. It is believed to have emerged during the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Arabic word "laham," which means "meat" or "flesh." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with professions related to butchery or the meat trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAHAM can be found in historical documents from the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over parts of the Levant and Egypt from the 13th to the 16th century. These records mention individuals with the surname LAHAM residing in cities like Damascus and Aleppo, which were important trade centers during that time.

In the 16th century, during the Ottoman Empire's rule over the region, the name LAHAM appears in Ottoman tax registers and census records. This indicates that families bearing this surname were well-established in various towns and villages across what is now Lebanon and Syria.

One notable individual with the surname LAHAM was Yusuf al-Laham, a 17th-century poet and scholar from Damascus. His works, which included poetry and treatises on various subjects, were widely celebrated during his lifetime and have been preserved in numerous manuscripts.

Another prominent figure was Mikhail LAHAM, a 19th-century Lebanese writer and intellectual who played a significant role in the Nahda, the Arab Renaissance movement. Born in 1875 in Beirut, he advocated for educational reforms and the modernization of Arabic literature.

In the early 20th century, the name LAHAM can be found in records of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants who settled in various parts of the Americas, including Brazil, Argentina, and the United States. One such individual was Elias LAHAM, a Lebanese immigrant who arrived in the United States in the 1920s and established a successful business in the textile industry.

During the 20th century, the LAHAM surname also became associated with several notable figures in the fields of academia, politics, and business. For example, Salim LAHAM was a prominent Lebanese politician who served as a member of parliament and played a key role in the country's post-independence government.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as LAHHAM or LEHAM, can be found in historical records, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings before they were standardized in more recent times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Laham

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

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

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

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