2000
#12,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Popham
From a place name meaning "Poppa's homestead" in Old English, derived from the given name Poppa and "ham" meaning home.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,346 Americans carry the last name Popham. That puts it at #14,094 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Popham 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 Popham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,102
Census rank
#14,094
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,046 bearers of the surname Popham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14094th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Popham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Popham
The surname Popham originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'pop' meaning a small hill or hillock, and 'ham' meaning a village or homestead. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small hill or in a village with a prominent hill.
The earliest recorded mention of the Popham surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as 'Popham' in the county of Hampshire, suggesting the family's origins were in this region.
During the 12th century, the Popham family held lands and estates in the village of Popham, near Basingstoke in Hampshire. The village name itself is recorded as 'Opham' in the Pipe Rolls of 1166, reflecting the earlier spelling variation.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Popham surname was Sir John Popham (1531-1607), an English lawyer and Lord Chief Justice of England. He played a key role in the trials of Sir Walter Raleigh and Guy Fawkes, and was involved in the establishment of the Popham Colony in present-day Maine, USA.
Another prominent figure was Sir Francis Popham (1573-1644), an English naval commander and politician. He served as an Admiral in the Royal Navy and was involved in expeditions against the Spanish and Dutch fleets during the Anglo-Spanish War and the Thirty Years' War.
Edward Popham (1610-1651) was an English military commander who fought for the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War. He played a significant role in the Battle of Naseby in 1645 and was later appointed as a commissioner for the trial of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762-1820) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars. He was involved in the capture of several French and Spanish ships and was later appointed as a Governor of the British West Indies.
Thomas Popham (1774-1857) was an English civil engineer and surveyor who worked on various canal and railway projects in the early 19th century. He was involved in the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Great Western Railway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Popham
Among Census respondents with the surname Popham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Popham 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 Popham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,872
- Two or more races3.8% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Popham
Popham 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
#14,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
-33 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,115 places
2020
#14,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
-92 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,955 | 2,171 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,070 | 2,138 | 0.72 | -33 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,115 places |
| 2020 | #14,094 | 2,046 | 0.68 | -92 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 24 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 Popham 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 | #14,070 | #14,094 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,138 | 2,046 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.68 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Popham bearers went from 2,138 to 2,046 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,070 to #14,094.
FAQ
Popham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Popham?
Name Census estimates that about 2,346 living Americans carry the surname Popham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,102 residents.
How common is Popham?
Popham ranks #14,094 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,046 people with the surname Popham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Popham.
Has Popham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Popham went from 2,138 recorded bearers to 2,046. That is a decrease of 92 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,070 to #14,094.
What does the Census say about the background of Popham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Popham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Popham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Popham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Popham (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 Popham mean?
From a place name meaning "Poppa's homestead" in Old English, derived from the given name Poppa and "ham" meaning home. 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 Popham (0.68 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 Popham?
Find out how many people have the surname Popham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.