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

Pelham, 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 Pelham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pelham in America

Pelham is the 9854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pelham surname appeared 3,282 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pelham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pelham 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 Pelham

The surname Pelham originated in England and has a long history dating back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old English words "pell" meaning "hill" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". It is believed to have originated from the place name Pelham in Hertfordshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Pelham".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pelham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from the year 1166, where a Robert de Pelham is mentioned. The name continued to appear in various historical records throughout the Middle Ages, often associated with notable individuals and families from the county of Hertfordshire.

In the 13th century, Sir Walter de Pelham was a prominent figure who served as Lord of the Manor of Pelham. He was also a member of the English Parliament and played a role in the negotiation of the Magna Carta in 1215. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Pelham, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a knight in the service of King Edward III.

During the Tudor period, the Pelham family gained significant influence and wealth. Sir William Pelham (1456-1538) was a successful lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1520 to 1538. His son, also named William Pelham (1486-1567), was a prominent statesman and courtier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland and Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex.

In the 17th century, Thomas Pelham (1597-1654) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons. His son, Thomas Pelham (1628-1712), was created Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1757 to 1762.

The Pelham name has also been associated with various places and landmarks throughout England. For example, the town of Pelham in Hertfordshire, as well as Pelham Hall and Pelham Park in the same county, are named after the historic Pelham family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pelham

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

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

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

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