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

Latham, 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 Latham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Latham in America

Latham is the 1693rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Latham surname appeared 21,277 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Latham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Latham 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 Latham

The surname Latham originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "læcc" meaning a stream or brook, and "ham" meaning a homestead or village. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or in a village situated near a stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Lateham" in reference to a landowner in Lancashire. The name was also recorded in various other medieval documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1176, where it was spelled "Latham."

The name Latham is closely associated with the town of Lathom in Lancashire, which was once the site of a significant manor house and estate owned by the Lathom family. The spelling of the place name evolved over time, with variations including Lathum, Lathom, and eventually Latham.

Notable historical figures with the surname Latham include:

1. John Latham (1740-1837), an English naturalist and ornithologist, best known for his work on bird taxonomy and his contributions to the study of Australian wildlife.

2. William Latham (1609-1671), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.

3. Henry Latham (1822-1904), an English clergyman and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and archaeology of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

4. Robert Gordon Latham (1812-1888), an English ethnologist, philologist, and antiquarian, known for his work on comparative philology and the classification of languages.

5. John Latham (1761-1843), an English surgeon and medical writer, best known for his work on the treatment of fractures and dislocations.

The Latham surname continues to be prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in the northwest region around Lancashire and Greater Manchester, reflecting its historical origins and associations with those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Latham

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

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

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

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