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

Markham, 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 Markham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Markham in America

Markham is the 2741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Markham surname appeared 13,137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Markham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Markham 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 Markham

The surname Markham is an English toponymic name derived from the place name Markham, which itself is composed of the Old English words "mere" meaning pool or lake, and "ham" meaning homestead or village. This suggests that the name originated from a settlement near a pool or lake.

The name is believed to have originated in the village of Markham in Nottinghamshire, England. It first appeared in written records during the 12th century, with one of the earliest known instances being a William de Markham mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Markham was referred to as "Marcham", which further supports the derivation from the Old English words "mere" and "ham". This spelling variation was common in early records.

One of the earliest prominent individuals with the surname Markham was John Markham (c.1349-1409), an English politician and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Henry IV.

Another notable figure was Sir John Markham (c.1510-1559), an English soldier and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1537 to 1544 during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the name was also associated with the Markham family of Sedgebrook, Lincolnshire. This family produced several notable individuals, including Sir Griffin Markham (c.1530-1604), an English soldier and writer, and his son Gervase Markham (c.1568-1637), an English poet, author, and husbandry writer.

The surname Markham also has a connection to the American colonies, with Daniel Markham (c.1615-1689) being one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name to settle in Virginia in the 17th century.

Another prominent figure was William Markham (1635-1704), an English colonial administrator who served as the Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania from 1681 to 1682 and later as the fourth Governor of Pennsylvania from 1693 to 1699.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Markham

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!