2000
#5,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Barham
A locational surname derived from places in Kent and Suffolk, England, likely referring to a homestead or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,661 Americans carry the last name Barham. That puts it at #5,745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,457 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barham 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 Barham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,457
Census rank
#5,745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,809 bearers of the surname Barham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barham, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barham
The surname Barham has its origins in England, traceable back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bær" meaning "barn" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name likely originated as a place name referring to a settlement or village where a barn or granary was located.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bercham" in reference to a place in Kent. This entry provides evidence that the name was in use in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with spellings such as "Bereham," "Bercham," and "Barham." These variations reflect the evolution of the name's spelling over time, as well as regional differences in pronunciation and written forms.
Notable individuals bearing the Barham surname include:
1. Henry Barham (c. 1490-1568), an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Callington, Cornwall.
2. Sir John Barham (1537-1618), an English courtier and politician who served as a Gentleman Usher to Queen Elizabeth I.
3. John Barham (1624-1692), an English clergyman and author known for his writings on church history.
4. Joseph Foster Barham (1759-1832), an English clergyman and author who wrote under the pseudonym "Thomas Ingoldsby."
5. Richard Harris Barham (1788-1845), an English novelist and humorist, best known for his work "The Ingoldsby Legends."
The surname Barham has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Barham in Kent, which dates back to the 9th century and was originally recorded as "Byraham" in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Other place names include Barham in Cambridgeshire and Barham in Suffolk.
While the name Barham has undergone spelling variations over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Old English language and the formation of place names related to agricultural settlements and granaries. The surname has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including politics, literature, and the clergy, throughout English history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barham
Among Census respondents with the surname Barham, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Barham 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 Barham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 4,418
- Black or African American15.0% · 869
- Two or more races4.7% · 275
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barham
Barham 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
#5,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,266
+305 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#5,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,809
-457 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,378 | 5,961 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,547 | 6,266 | 2.12 | +305 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #5,745 | 5,809 | 1.94 | -457 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 198 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 Barham 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 | #5,547 | #5,745 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,266 | 5,809 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.94 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barham bearers went from 6,266 to 5,809 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,547 to #5,745.
FAQ
Barham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barham?
Name Census estimates that about 6,661 living Americans carry the surname Barham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,457 residents.
How common is Barham?
Barham ranks #5,745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,809 people with the surname Barham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,661), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Barham.
Has Barham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barham went from 6,266 recorded bearers to 5,809. That is a decrease of 457 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,547 to #5,745.
What does the Census say about the background of Barham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barham, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Barham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (4,418 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Black (15.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Barham (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 Barham mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Kent and Suffolk, England, likely referring to a homestead or enclosure. 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 Barham (1.94 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 Barham?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Barham at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.