NameCensus.

UK surname

Latham

From an English place name meaning "barn" or "granary" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 6,081 people recorded with the Latham surname, ranking it #722 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,300, ranked #699, up from #722 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Bolton-le-Moors. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Latham is 9,687 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.9%.

1881 census count

6,081

Ranked #722

Modern count

9,300

2016, ranked #699

Peak year

1999

9,687 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Latham had 6,081 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #722 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,300 in 2016, ranked #699.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,781 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Latham surname distribution map

The map shows where the Latham surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Latham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Latham over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,371 #851
1861 historical 3,459 #819
1881 historical 6,081 #722
1891 historical 6,271 #740
1901 historical 7,587 #710
1911 historical 8,781 #558
1997 modern 9,115 #686
1998 modern 9,632 #678
1999 modern 9,687 #679
2000 modern 9,655 #676
2001 modern 9,508 #671
2002 modern 9,646 #680
2003 modern 9,362 #684
2004 modern 9,303 #685
2005 modern 9,168 #690
2006 modern 9,180 #686
2007 modern 9,258 #684
2008 modern 9,269 #689
2009 modern 9,508 #688
2010 modern 9,674 #690
2011 modern 9,573 #688
2012 modern 9,262 #701
2013 modern 9,432 #697
2014 modern 9,526 #692
2015 modern 9,357 #698
2016 modern 9,300 #699

Geography

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Where Lathams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Bolton-le-Moors and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
4 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
2 Cheshire East 049 Cheshire East
3 Cheshire East 050 Cheshire East
4 Cheshire East 025 Cheshire East
5 Cheshire East 048 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Latham

These lists show first names that appear often with the Latham surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Latham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Latham, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Latham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Latham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Latham is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Latham is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Latham falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Latham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Latham, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Latham

The surname Latham originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "læcc" meaning a stream or brook, and "ham" meaning a homestead or village. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or in a village situated near a stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Lateham" in reference to a landowner in Lancashire. The name was also recorded in various other medieval documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1176, where it was spelled "Latham."

The name Latham is closely associated with the town of Lathom in Lancashire, which was once the site of a significant manor house and estate owned by the Lathom family. The spelling of the place name evolved over time, with variations including Lathum, Lathom, and eventually Latham.

Notable historical figures with the surname Latham include:

1. John Latham (1740-1837), an English naturalist and ornithologist, best known for his work on bird taxonomy and his contributions to the study of Australian wildlife.

2. William Latham (1609-1671), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.

3. Henry Latham (1822-1904), an English clergyman and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and archaeology of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

4. Robert Gordon Latham (1812-1888), an English ethnologist, philologist, and antiquarian, known for his work on comparative philology and the classification of languages.

5. John Latham (1761-1843), an English surgeon and medical writer, best known for his work on the treatment of fractures and dislocations.

The Latham surname continues to be prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in the northwest region around Lancashire and Greater Manchester, reflecting its historical origins and associations with those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Latham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Latham surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 1,882 Lathams recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.67x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,882 2.67x
Cheshire 782 5.96x
Staffordshire 632 3.15x
Middlesex 489 0.82x
Warwickshire 359 2.39x
Yorkshire 317 0.54x
Surrey 184 0.64x
Shropshire 176 3.43x
Devon 114 0.92x
Kent 107 0.53x
Gloucestershire 99 0.85x
Somerset 94 0.98x
Derbyshire 83 0.89x
Worcestershire 80 1.03x
Durham 78 0.44x
Flintshire 67 4.19x
Nottinghamshire 59 0.74x
Leicestershire 57 0.86x
Sussex 51 0.51x
Hampshire 50 0.41x
Oxfordshire 34 0.93x
Herefordshire 25 1.03x
Glamorgan 24 0.23x
Essex 22 0.19x
Wiltshire 20 0.38x
Berkshire 18 0.40x
Cumberland 17 0.33x
Hertfordshire 17 0.41x
Norfolk 17 0.19x
Northumberland 17 0.19x
Westmorland 14 1.07x
Isle of Man 12 1.09x
Lincolnshire 10 0.11x
Monmouthshire 10 0.23x
Renfrewshire 10 0.22x
Denbighshire 9 0.40x
Fife 9 0.26x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.19x
Merionethshire 7 0.64x
Bedfordshire 6 0.19x
Northamptonshire 5 0.09x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.17x
Midlothian 4 0.05x
Perthshire 4 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.08x
Dorset 2 0.05x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Royal Navy 2 0.28x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.08x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.05x
Stirlingshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 154 Lathams recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.73x.

Place Total Index
Aston 154 3.73x
Stoke Upon Trent 119 5.59x
Wigan 115 11.66x
Monks Coppenhall 105 21.20x
Birmingham 73 1.46x
Blackburn 72 3.84x
Bethnal Green London 66 2.55x
Burnley 62 10.43x
Toxteth Park 61 2.55x
Liverpool 59 1.38x
Westhoughton 56 29.74x
St Pancras London 54 1.13x
Kensington London 53 1.60x
Upholland 49 54.19x
Lambeth 48 0.93x
Manchester 47 1.48x
Preston 47 2.49x
Orrell 46 52.43x
Islington London 45 0.78x
Ashton In Makerfield 44 21.90x
Nantwich 44 28.85x
West Derby 43 2.08x
Wolstanton 43 7.05x
Everton 41 1.82x
Lilleshall 41 52.21x
Wolverhampton 41 2.66x
Salford 39 1.88x
Bedminster 38 4.22x
Burslem 38 6.61x
Eccleston In Prescot 38 10.73x
Atherton 37 14.41x
Ecclesall Bierlow 37 3.09x
Little Bolton 36 3.97x
Hawarden 34 27.08x
Wharton 34 47.56x
Kirkdale 33 2.78x
Brighton 32 1.58x
Gorton 32 4.82x
Haslington 30 81.26x
Camberwell 28 0.74x
Leicester St Margaret 28 1.74x
Skelmersdale 28 23.81x
Great Bolton 27 2.89x
Over 27 20.24x
Haydock 26 21.39x
Sheffield 26 1.39x
Horwich 25 32.48x
Southwick 25 14.92x
Bunbury 24 133.41x
Combmartin 23 85.60x
Dudley 23 2.44x
Hulme 23 1.56x
Woore 23 169.12x
Battersea 22 1.01x
Bickerstaffe 22 47.63x
Bootle Cum Linacre 22 3.93x
Clitheroe 21 10.11x
Foleshill 21 13.31x
Lynton 21 85.05x
Portsea 21 0.88x
Aspull 20 12.05x
Barrow In Furness 20 2.08x
Minchinhampton 20 21.52x
Paddington London 20 0.91x
Shoreditch London 20 0.78x
Stone 20 7.79x
Basford 19 5.14x
Chorley 19 4.80x
Congleton 19 8.38x
Hackney London 19 0.57x
Pendleton In Salford 19 2.26x
St George Hanover Square 19 1.81x
Tipton 19 3.09x
Chebsey 18 175.78x
Chester St Mary On Hill 18 15.98x
Deptford St Paul 18 1.15x
Ince In Makerfield 18 5.48x
Rainford 18 23.59x
Sedgley 18 2.41x
St Marylebone London 18 0.57x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Latham surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 447
Elizabeth 255
Sarah 222
Ann 138
Jane 126
Alice 125
Ellen 118
Margaret 96
Annie 89
Emma 87
Eliza 85
Martha 79
Emily 71
Hannah 52
Louisa 44
Florence 41
Harriet 40
Maria 40
Ada 33
Catherine 33
Anne 29
Esther 28
Fanny 26
Charlotte 23
Edith 23
Isabella 23
Kate 23
Agnes 21
Frances 21
Clara 20
Amelia 17
Lucy 17
Caroline 16
Harriett 16
Rebecca 15
Elizth. 14
Amy 12
Ethel 12
Lizzie 12
Rachel 12
Ruth 12
Minnie 11
Nancy 11
Susan 11
Betsy 10
Eleanor 10
Sophia 10
Susannah 10
Beatrice 9
Gertrude 9

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Latham surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 377
William 369
Thomas 256
James 216
George 152
Henry 131
Charles 116
Joseph 113
Richard 107
Robert 80
Samuel 67
Alfred 66
Arthur 57
Edward 56
Harry 37
Frederick 36
Albert 35
Walter 30
Peter 24
Ernest 23
Wm. 19
Frank 18
Stephen 17
David 16
Edwin 16
Daniel 15
Thos. 15
Ralph 14
Francis 13
Herbert 12
Isaac 10
Percy 10
Hugh 9
Fred 8
Fredk. 8
Matthew 8
Abraham 7
Eli 7
Geo. 7
Willm. 7
Clement 6
Edmund 6
Enoch 6
Harold 6
Hy. 5
Jacob 5
Tom 5
Adam 4
Luke 4
Richd. 4

FAQ

Latham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Latham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,081 people were recorded with the Latham surname. That placed it at #722 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Latham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,300 in 2016. That gives Latham a modern rank of #699.

What does the Latham surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "barn" or "granary" in Old English.

What does the Latham map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Latham bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.