Explore the Family Name Topham
The meaning of Topham
English (mainly northern, especially Yorkshire): 1. nickname from Middle English Toppan, of uncertain meaning. The second element is perhaps Middle English pan(ne) ‘(crown of the) head’, while Top- could be derived from several different words. If from Middle English toppen ‘to shave (the head)’, then Toppan might have been a name for a barber who provided tonsures for the clergy. Alternatively, Top- might represent Middle English tup, top(pe) ‘ram, male sheep’, hence ‘ram-head’, or Middle English top(pe), Anglo-Norman French tupe ‘hair on the head, tuft of hair, forelock’, denoting someone with a distinctive head of hair. 2. variant of Topping. 3. in Lincolnshire, a variant of Tupholme, a habitational name from a place so named in Lincolnshire. The placename derives from the Old Norse personal name Tupi or a word of obscure origin from which Middle English tup ‘ram’ derives + Old Norse holmr ‘small island, water meadow’. 4. in southern England the name is rare and may be from an unidentified placename there. The placename may derive from Old English topp ‘top, hill top’ + hām ‘village, homestead’, but this cannot be certain.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Topham in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Topham has seen a notable increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 19,813th most common surname, however, by 2010 it had risen to the 18,648th position, marking a growth of 5.88%. The number of individuals carrying this name also expanded from 1,256 to 1,475 during this time period, indicating a significant change of 17.44%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also increased by 6.38%, suggesting that the popularity of the Topham surname is indeed on the rise.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,813 | #18,648 | 5.88% |
| Count | 1,256 | 1,475 | 17.44% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.47 | 0.5 | 6.38% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Topham
As for the ethnic identity associated with the Topham surname, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that it is predominantly linked to White ethnicity, despite a slight decrease of 0.84% between 2000 and 2010. There were no reported links to Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in either year. However, there was a substantial increase in its association with Hispanic ethnicity, going from 1.11% in 2000 to 2.24% in 2010, a change of 101.80%. Connections to Asian/Pacific Islander identity declined significantly by 60.50%, while those to two or more races saw an increase of 59.72% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.74% | 95.93% | -0.84% |
| Hispanic | 1.11% | 2.24% | 101.8% |
| Two or More Races | 0.72% | 1.15% | 59.72% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.19% | 0.47% | -60.5% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |