2000
#2,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.73
Uncommon Last name
Oldham
A locational surname referring to someone from Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England, derived from Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,213 Americans carry the last name Oldham. That puts it at #2,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oldham surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Oldham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,116
Census rank
#2,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,394 bearers of the surname Oldham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldham, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oldham
The surname Oldham is of English origin, deriving from the place name Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. The name Oldham is formed from the Old English words "eald" meaning "old" and "ham" meaning "home" or "homestead."
The earliest recorded use of the surname Oldham can be traced back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1194, where it is written as "de Oldeham." This suggests that the name was initially used to denote someone from the town of Oldham.
During the medieval period, the surname Oldham appeared in various documents and records, such as the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, where it is spelled "de Oldham." The name is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, indicating its continued use and presence in the region.
In the 16th century, the surname Oldham is recorded in the Parish Registers of Oldham, further solidifying its association with the town. One notable individual from this period is Hugh Oldham, born in Oldham around 1452, who became the Bishop of Exeter and served as the Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VII.
In the 17th century, the Oldham family gained prominence with John Oldham (1600-1636), an English satirical poet and translator. Another notable figure was Hugh Oldham (1619-1677), a Puritan minister and co-founder of Yale College in Connecticut, USA.
The 18th century saw the rise of Thomas Oldham (1718-1757), a British merchant and member of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British trade relations with India.
In the 19th century, Thomas Oldham (1816-1878) was a renowned Irish geologist and director of the Geological Survey of India, while John Oldham (1779-1840) was a British mathematician and author of several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.
The 20th century brought forth notable individuals like Richard D. Oldham (1858-1936), a British geophysicist known for his contributions to the study of earthquakes, and John Oldham (1907-1976), an English poet and writer who was part of the literary movement known as "The Movement."
Overall, the surname Oldham has a rich history rooted in the town of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England, and has been associated with numerous individuals from various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oldham
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldham, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Oldham bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Oldham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 10,224
- Black or African American9.0% · 1,110
- Two or more races3.8% · 474
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 387
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oldham
Oldham appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,928
+175 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 4.38
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#2,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,394
-534 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,604 | 12,753 | 4.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,792 | 12,928 | 4.38 | +175 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #2,826 | 12,394 | 4.15 | -534 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Oldham surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,792 | #2,826 | -1.2% |
| Count | 12,928 | 12,394 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.38 | 4.15 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oldham bearers went from 12,928 to 12,394 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,792 to #2,826.
FAQ
Oldham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oldham?
Name Census estimates that about 14,213 living Americans carry the surname Oldham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,116 residents.
How common is Oldham?
Oldham ranks #2,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,394 people with the surname Oldham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Oldham.
Has Oldham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oldham went from 12,928 recorded bearers to 12,394. That is a decrease of 534 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,792 to #2,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Oldham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldham, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oldham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (10,224 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oldham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Oldham (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Oldham mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England, derived from Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Oldham (4.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Oldham?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Oldham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.