2000
#9,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Trantham
Derived from a place name meaning "thorn tree homestead" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,137 Americans carry the last name Trantham. That puts it at #11,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trantham 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.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,262
Census rank
#11,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,736 bearers of the surname Trantham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trantham
The surname Trantham is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "trant" meaning "a stream or river" and "ham" meaning "a homestead or village," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a person named Richard de Trantham is mentioned. These rolls were financial records kept by the English government, indicating that the Trantham family may have been of some prominence or wealth during that time.
The name also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the exact spelling varies, entries such as "Trantham" and "Trentham" can be found, suggesting that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John de Trantham was a Franciscan friar and theologian who lived from around 1290 to 1349. He was known for his writings on philosophical and theological subjects, and his work remains influential to this day.
Another prominent individual with the surname Trantham was Sir Thomas Trantham, who lived during the 16th century (c. 1515 - 1592). He was a distinguished English soldier and politician, serving as a Member of Parliament and holding various military positions under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 18th century, the name Trantham was associated with a notable family from Nottinghamshire. Robert Trantham (1723 - 1809) was a prominent landowner and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the local community, including the establishment of schools and charitable institutions.
The name Trantham has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Trantham in Lincolnshire and Trentham in Staffordshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Overall, the surname Trantham has a rich history spanning several centuries, with connections to notable figures, places, and events throughout England's past. Its origins and evolution reflect the country's diverse linguistic and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trantham
Among Census respondents with the surname Trantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Trantham 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 Trantham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 2,390
- Two or more races4.5% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 82
- Black or African American2.8% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trantham
Trantham 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
#9,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,304
+113 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 433 places
2020
#11,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,736
-568 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 1,276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,365 | 3,191 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,798 | 3,304 | 1.12 | +113 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 433 places |
| 2020 | #11,074 | 2,736 | 0.92 | -568 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 1,276 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 Trantham 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 | #9,798 | #11,074 | -13.0% |
| Count | 3,304 | 2,736 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 0.92 | -18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trantham bearers went from 3,304 to 2,736 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 1,276 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,798 to #11,074.
FAQ
Trantham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trantham?
Name Census estimates that about 3,137 living Americans carry the surname Trantham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,262 residents.
How common is Trantham?
Trantham ranks #11,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,736 people with the surname Trantham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Trantham.
Has Trantham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trantham went from 3,304 recorded bearers to 2,736. That is a decrease of 568 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,798 to #11,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Trantham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Trantham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (2,390 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trantham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Trantham (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 Trantham mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "thorn tree homestead" in 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 Trantham (0.92 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 Trantham?
See how many Americans have the surname Trantham on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.