2000
#3,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.77
Uncommon Last name
Windham
From an English place name meaning "enclosure with a windlass" or "Wynd's homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,244 Americans carry the last name Windham. That puts it at #3,551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,483 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Windham 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 Windham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,483
Census rank
#3,551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,805 bearers of the surname Windham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Windham, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Windham
Among Census respondents with the surname Windham, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Windham 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 Windham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 7,304
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,750
- Two or more races3.9% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 268
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Windham
Windham 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
#3,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,390
+228 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 211 places
2020
#3,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,805
-585 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,226 | 10,162 | 3.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,437 | 10,390 | 3.52 | +228 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 211 places |
| 2020 | #3,551 | 9,805 | 3.28 | -585 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 114 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 Windham 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 | #3,437 | #3,551 | -3.3% |
| Count | 10,390 | 9,805 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.52 | 3.28 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Windham bearers went from 10,390 to 9,805 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,437 to #3,551.
FAQ
Windham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Windham?
Name Census estimates that about 11,244 living Americans carry the surname Windham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,483 residents.
How common is Windham?
Windham ranks #3,551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,805 people with the surname Windham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Windham.
Has Windham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Windham went from 10,390 recorded bearers to 9,805. That is a decrease of 585 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,437 to #3,551.
What does the Census say about the background of Windham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Windham, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Windham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (7,304 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Windham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (17.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Windham (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 Windham mean?
From an English place name meaning "enclosure with a windlass" or "Wynd's 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 Windham (3.28 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 many people have the surname Windham?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.