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

Windham, 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 Windham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Windham in America

Windham is the 3437th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Windham surname appeared 10,390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Windham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Windham 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 Windham

The surname Windham has its origins in England and is derived from the Old English words "wind" meaning "winding" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". It is believed to have originated as a place name referring to a settlement located near a winding river or stream.

The earliest known record of the name Windham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Windeham" and "Wyndeham". The Domesday Book was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

In the 12th century, the name appears as "Wyndham" in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of 1166-1167. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Windham was Sir Roger de Wyndham, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

The Windham family was a prominent one in England, with many members holding positions of importance throughout history. One notable figure was Sir John Wyndham (c. 1558-1645), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.

Another well-known individual with the surname Windham was William Windham (1750-1810), a British statesman and politician who served as Secretary at War and Leader of the House of Commons under William Pitt the Younger.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Windham was Thomas Windham (1621-1658), who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 17th century and became a prominent landowner and member of the colonial government.

The name Windham has also been associated with several place names, including the town of Windham in Connecticut, which was founded in the 17th century and named after the nearby Windham family estate in Norfolk, England.

Throughout history, the surname Windham has been spelled in various ways, including Wyndeham, Wyndham, Wyndehame, and Windeham, reflecting the evolving nature of English spelling and pronunciation over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Windham

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

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

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

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