2000
#1,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.67
Uncommon Last name
Putnam
From an English place name meaning "Putta's homestead," derived from the Old English personal name Putta and ham, meaning "homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,037 Americans carry the last name Putnam. That puts it at #2,022 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,106 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Putnam 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 Putnam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,106
Census rank
#2,022
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,473 bearers of the surname Putnam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2022nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Putnam, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Putnam
The surname Putnam has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Puttenham, which is found in several counties including Surrey, Hertfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. The name is believed to derive from the Old English words "pytt" meaning a pit or hollow and "ham" meaning a homestead or village, thus translating to "the homestead or village by the pit or hollow."
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Puteham." This entry refers to a location in Surrey, which was likely the original place from which the surname originated. In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Puttenho," "Puttenhaw," and "Putteham" in various county records and tax rolls.
The first recorded instance of the spelling "Putnam" dates back to the late 16th century, with a Thomas Putnam mentioned in the parish records of Hertfordshire in 1586. This spelling became more commonly adopted over time, though variations such as "Puttenham" and "Puttnam" persisted for several centuries.
One notable figure associated with the Putnam surname is John Putnam (1579-1662), an early settler of Salem, Massachusetts, who arrived in the New World in 1634. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and served as a magistrate and lieutenant in the local militia.
Another prominent individual was Israel Putnam (1718-1790), a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is renowned for his courageous actions in battles such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Long Island, and his daring escape from British dragoons has become a legendary tale.
In the literary realm, the name is associated with Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), a pioneering physician and writer who played a pivotal role in advancing women's rights and advocating for their admission to medical schools and professions.
George Palmer Putnam (1814-1872) was a prominent American publisher and founder of the publishing house G.P. Putnam's Sons, which played a significant role in the literary world of the 19th century.
Rufus Putnam (1738-1824) was a notable figure in the early history of the United States, serving as a surveyor and one of the founders of the settlement of Marietta, Ohio, which was the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Putnam
Among Census respondents with the surname Putnam, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Putnam 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 Putnam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 15,912
- Two or more races3.1% · 541
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 514
- Black or African American1.6% · 286
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Putnam
Putnam 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
#1,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,340
+350 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 6.22
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#2,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,473
-867 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,831 | 17,990 | 6.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,971 | 18,340 | 6.22 | +350 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #2,022 | 17,473 | 5.85 | -867 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 51 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 Putnam 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 | #1,971 | #2,022 | -2.6% |
| Count | 18,340 | 17,473 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.22 | 5.85 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Putnam bearers went from 18,340 to 17,473 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,971 to #2,022.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Putnam
FAQ
Putnam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Putnam?
Name Census estimates that about 20,037 living Americans carry the surname Putnam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,106 residents.
How common is Putnam?
Putnam ranks #2,022 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,473 people with the surname Putnam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Putnam.
Has Putnam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Putnam went from 18,340 recorded bearers to 17,473. That is a decrease of 867 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,971 to #2,022.
What does the Census say about the background of Putnam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Putnam, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Putnam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (15,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Putnam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Putnam (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 Putnam mean?
From an English place name meaning "Putta's homestead," derived from the Old English personal name Putta and ham, meaning "homestead." 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 Putnam (5.85 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 Putnam?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Putnam? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.