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

Witham, 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 Witham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Witham in America

Witham is the 7734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Witham surname appeared 4,293 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 Witham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Witham 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 Witham

The surname Witham is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Witham in Essex, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Witham" or "Witeham." The name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "wid" or "wudu," meaning "wood," and "ham," meaning "homestead" or "village," suggesting that the name originated from a settlement located in a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Witham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Essex from 1195, where a person named William de Witeham is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert de Wytham is listed as a resident of Essex. During this period, the name was also associated with a village called "Wytham" in Berkshire, which may have contributed to variations in the spelling of the surname.

Over the centuries, the Witham surname has been borne by several notable individuals, including Sir John Witham (c. 1540-1587), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Witham (1619-1699), an English Catholic priest and scholar who authored several theological works.

In the 18th century, Henry Witham (1779-1844) was a renowned English naturalist and geologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil plants. His son, Henry T.M. Witham (1812-1884), followed in his footsteps as a prominent geologist and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

The Witham surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Witham Friary in Somerset and Witham-on-the-Hill in Lincolnshire, further emphasizing its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Witham

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

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

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

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