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

Washam, 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 Washam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Washam in America

Washam is the 13153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Washam surname appeared 2,327 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 Washam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Washam 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 Washam

The surname Washam has its origins rooted in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wæsce" meaning "to wash" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who resided near a place where washing or laundering activities took place.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Washam surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1195, where a certain Robert de Washam is listed as a landowner. This document provides evidence of the name's existence during the Middle Ages in England.

The name Washam has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Washam in Worcestershire and Washingborough in Lincolnshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals bearing the Washam surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Washam (c. 1480-1554), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of King Henry VIII.

2. Thomas Washam (1590-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Brightwell Baldwin in Oxfordshire.

3. Elizabeth Washam (1625-1693), a Quaker preacher and writer from Massachusetts Bay Colony, known for her religious pamphlets and her advocacy for women's rights in the Quaker community.

4. Richard Washam (1731-1805), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the St. Katharine's Church and the Royal Mint.

5. William Washam (1819-1887), an English industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Washam Textile Mills in Manchester and contributed significantly to the development of the city's textile industry.

Throughout the centuries, the Washam surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Wassham, Wasseham, and Wassingham, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Washam

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

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

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

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