2000
#8,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,585
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Langham
Derived from a place name meaning "long homestead" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,895 Americans carry the last name Langham. That puts it at #9,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Langham 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 Langham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 87,999
Census rank
#9,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,397 bearers of the surname Langham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Langham, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Langham
The surname Langham originated in England. It is a locational name, derived from the Old English words 'lang' meaning long and 'ham' meaning homestead or village. The name refers to one of the several places in England called Langham, with the oldest record dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was mentioned as Langeham.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was William de Langham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early record is of Roger de Langham, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.
In Norfolk, the surname can be traced back to the village of Langham, which was recorded as Langeham in the Domesday Book. This place name is believed to have originated from the Old English 'lang' and 'ham', referring to a long-shaped village or homestead.
One notable bearer of the name was Simon Langham (c. 1310-1376), an English clergyman who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1366 until his death. He was a significant figure in the church during the latter part of the 14th century.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir John Langham (c. 1485-1561), an English soldier and courtier who served under King Henry VIII. He was involved in various military campaigns and held several important positions during his lifetime.
In the world of literature, Nathaniel Langham (1604-1675) was an English author and clergyman who wrote several religious works, including "The Garden of the Soul" and "The Practical Divinity."
John Langham (1679-1756) was an English architect who designed several notable buildings, including Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
Finally, James Langham (1771-1852) was a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament for Beverley in Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langham
Among Census respondents with the surname Langham, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Langham 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 Langham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 2,634
- Black or African American14.0% · 475
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 122
- Two or more races3.4% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Langham
Langham 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
#8,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,684
+99 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 423 places
2020
#9,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,397
-287 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,465 | 3,585 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,888 | 3,684 | 1.25 | +99 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 423 places |
| 2020 | #9,216 | 3,397 | 1.14 | -287 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 328 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 Langham 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 | #8,888 | #9,216 | -3.7% |
| Count | 3,684 | 3,397 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.14 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Langham bearers went from 3,684 to 3,397 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 328 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,888 to #9,216.
FAQ
Langham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Langham?
Name Census estimates that about 3,895 living Americans carry the surname Langham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,999 residents.
How common is Langham?
Langham ranks #9,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,397 people with the surname Langham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,895), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Langham.
Has Langham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Langham went from 3,684 recorded bearers to 3,397. That is a decrease of 287 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,888 to #9,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Langham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Langham, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Langham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (2,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Langham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (14.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Langham (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 Langham mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "long homestead" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there. 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 Langham (1.14 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 Langham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.