Explore the Family Name Pam
The meaning of Pam
1. English: nickname (presumably for somemone with big hands) from Middle English pa(u)me ‘palm of the hand; paw’. 2. English: possibly a habitational name from a French placename. The earliest records of the Naburn family ((de) Paumes) suggest an origin in a French placename, not definitely identified, but they may not be relevant to this name. 3. West African (Senegal): Tukulor name of unexplained etymology. 4. West African (Nigeria): unexplained.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pam in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pam saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 27,721st and had 817 bearers in the United States. By 2010, this rank went down to 29,334th with a count of 806, indicating a 1.35% decrease in the number of people bearing the surname. The proportion per 100,000 people also dropped by 10%, from 0.3 in 2000 to 0.27 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #27,721 | #29,334 | -5.82% |
| Count | 817 | 806 | -1.35% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.3 | 0.27 | -10% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pam
With respect to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the Pam surname was primarily associated with the White, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicities. In 2000, the percentages were approximately equal between White (33.29%), Black (33.54%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (29.62%). However, there was a significant shift by 2010. The percentage of Pams identifying as Black increased by 15.77% to 38.83%, while those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islanders fell by 24.17% to 22.46%. The percentage of Pams identifying as White remained relatively stable, increasing slightly by 0.99% to 33.62%. Interestingly, the 2010 census also showed that 2.61% of Pams identified with two or more races, a category not represented in the 2000 data.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 33.54% | 38.83% | 15.77% |
| White | 33.29% | 33.62% | 0.99% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 29.62% | 22.46% | -24.17% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 2.61% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 1.84% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |