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

Tham, 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 Tham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tham in America

Tham is the 19834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tham surname appeared 1,355 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tham 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 Tham

The surname Tham has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the region of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is derived from the Tamil word "thambi," which means "younger brother" or "younger male relative." The name Tham is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

In ancient Tamil literature and inscriptions, the name Tham can be found in various forms, such as Thambu, Thamban, and Thambiram. These variations suggest the name's deep roots in the Tamil language and culture. The earliest recorded instances of the name Tham date back to the Chola dynasty, which ruled parts of southern India between the 9th and 13th centuries.

One notable historical reference to the name Tham comes from the Thanjavur Maratha Sarfoji records, which document the appointment of a minister named Tham Venkatarama Iyengar during the reign of King Tulaja II in the 18th century. Additionally, the Tham family played a significant role in the administration of the Vijayanagar Empire, which dominated the southern part of the Indian subcontinent from the 14th to the 17th century.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tham was Tham Venkatarama Nayak, a prominent scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his contributions to Tamil literature and his devotional works dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.

Another notable figure was Tham Kundrakkutti, a Tamil philosopher and logician who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his treatises on logic and metaphysics, which influenced subsequent generations of scholars in the region.

In the 19th century, Tham Rajanambalam Pillai was a prominent Tamil scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the study of Tamil language and literature. He authored several works on Tamil grammar, poetry, and literary criticism.

The name Tham has also been associated with various place names in Tamil Nadu, such as Thambarahalli, Thambarapalayam, and Thambaraipalli, which further underscores the name's deep-rooted connection to the region.

While the surname Tham is more commonly found in Tamil Nadu and among the Tamil diaspora around the world, it has also been adopted by individuals from other parts of India, particularly in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where Tamil influence has been significant.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tham

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

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

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

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