Explore the Family Name Downham

The meaning of Downham

1. English: habitational name from any of various places called Downham in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lancashire, and perhaps also from Downham, Northumberland, and Downholme, North Yorkshire, though no evidence has been found for these. The names from Lancashire and Northumberland arise from Old English dūn, dative plural dūnum ‘(at) the hills’, while the others come from Old English dūn ‘hill’ + hām ‘homestead’. 2. Altered form of English Dunham.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Downham in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Downham saw a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 46,083 in terms of frequency which improved to 44,957 by 2010, representing a 2.44% change. The number of individuals with this surname also grew from 436 in 2000 to 477 in 2010, indicating a 9.4% increase. However, the proportion per 100k people remained stable at 0.16.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#46,083	#44,957	2.44%
Count	436	477	9.4%
Proportion per 100k	0.16	0.16	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Downham

The ethnicity associated with the surname Downham, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, has been predominantly White, with a percentage of 98.39 in 2000 that slightly decreased to 96.65 by 2010. Meanwhile, there was a minimal rise in those identifying as having two or more races from 0% in 2000 to 1.05% in 2010. The Hispanic representation also saw an increase to 1.47% in 2010 from 0% in 2000. There were no recorded instances of individuals with the Downham surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	98.39%	96.65%	-1.77%
Hispanic	0%	1.47%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	1.05%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%