Explore the Family Name Popham

The meaning of Popham

English: habitational name from a place in Hampshire, so called from an unattested short form of Old English popel ‘pebble’ + Old English hām ‘village, homestead’. History: The Popham Colony was the first organized attempt to establish an English colony on the shores of what is now known as New England, then called Northern Virginia. George Popham of Hunstworth, Somerset, England, helped establish the colony at the mouth of the Kennebec River in 1607. It lasted for little over a year until it was abandoned in 1608. Although George died that same year, he may have had descendants or relatives with him as there are Pophams in the US who trace their family roots to the colony.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Popham in the United States has seen a slight decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 12,955th, and by 2010 it dropped to a rank of 14,070, marking an 8.61% decline. The count of individuals with the Popham surname also decreased by 1.52% from 2,171 in 2000 to 2,138 in 2010. Moreover, its proportion in the population per 100,000 people declined by 10%, from 0.8 in 2000 to 0.72 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#12,955#14,070-8.61%
Count2,1712,138-1.52%
Proportion per 100k0.80.72-10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Popham

The ethnic identity associated with the Popham surname saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In terms of the largest group, White Pophams witnessed a slight decrease of 1.11% from 96.87% in 2000 to 95.79% in 2010. Asian/Pacific Islander representation within the Popham surname also fell by 15%, from 0.60% to 0.51%. The Two or More Races category saw growth, increasing by 33.91% from 1.15% to 1.54%. Additionally, those identifying as Hispanic increased by 51.67%, moving from 1.20% to 1.82%. There was no change for Black ethnicity and American Indian and Alaskan Native, as they maintained a constant of 0% through both years.

20002010Change
White96.87%95.79%-1.11%
Hispanic1.2%1.82%51.67%
Two or More Races1.15%1.54%33.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.6%0.51%-15%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%