2000
#3,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.01
Uncommon Last name
Needham
From the Old English "newe" meaning new and "ham" meaning home, referring to someone living at a new house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,296 Americans carry the last name Needham. That puts it at #3,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Needham 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 Needham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,875
Census rank
#3,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,723 bearers of the surname Needham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Needham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Needham
The surname Needham has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "nedre" and "ham," meaning "a valley where nettles grow."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of English landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appeared as "Nedreham" and referred to various settlements located in nettle-filled valleys.
During the medieval period, the surname was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Sir Robert Needham, a prominent English soldier and landowner who lived in the late 14th century. He served as a knight under King Edward III and participated in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another historical figure bearing the Needham name was John Needham, a 17th-century English naturalist and microscopist. Born in 1638, he is best known for his pioneering work in the field of microscopy and his observations of microorganisms, which he termed "little living creatures."
In the 18th century, the Needham family established itself as a prominent landowning family in Derbyshire, England. One notable member was Robert Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (1711-1786), a British peer and politician who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire.
The 19th century saw the rise of the Needham family in the literary and academic spheres. Alfred Needham (1825-1892) was a renowned English historian and writer, best known for his works on the history of the English Reformation.
Another notable figure from this period was Walter Needham (1847-1924), a distinguished English chemist and professor at the University of Cambridge. He made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900.
While the Needham surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, this historical account focuses solely on the surname's origins and notable individuals from its early years in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Needham
Among Census respondents with the surname Needham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Needham 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 Needham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 9,276
- Black or African American4.0% · 430
- Two or more races3.8% · 405
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 348
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 135
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 129
Timeline
Historical Census data for Needham
Needham 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
#3,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,983
+174 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.72
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#3,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,723
-260 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,074 | 10,809 | 4.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,289 | 10,983 | 3.72 | +174 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #3,291 | 10,723 | 3.59 | -260 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 2 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 Needham 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 | #3,289 | #3,291 | -0.1% |
| Count | 10,983 | 10,723 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.72 | 3.59 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Needham bearers went from 10,983 to 10,723 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,289 to #3,291.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Needham
FAQ
Needham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Needham?
Name Census estimates that about 12,296 living Americans carry the surname Needham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,875 residents.
How common is Needham?
Needham ranks #3,291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,723 people with the surname Needham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Needham.
Has Needham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Needham went from 10,983 recorded bearers to 10,723. That is a decrease of 260 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,289 to #3,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Needham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Needham, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Needham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (9,276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Needham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Needham (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 Needham mean?
From the Old English "newe" meaning new and "ham" meaning home, referring to someone living at a new house. 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 Needham (3.59 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 share the surname Needham?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.