NameCensus.

UK surname

Odam

A variant of the English surname Adam, derived from the Hebrew given name meaning "earth" or "red."

In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Odam surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 149, ranked #23,844, down from #17,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Boston (incl. Boston allotments). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Gwynedd and Mendip.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Odam is 228 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.2%.

1881 census count

124

Ranked #17,429

Modern count

149

2016, ranked #23,844

Peak year

1911

228 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Odam had 124 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016, ranked #23,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 228 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Odam surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Odam surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Odam 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 146 #13,157
1861 historical 76 #24,114
1881 historical 124 #17,429
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 223 #14,134
1911 historical 228 #13,759
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 155 #21,375
2000 modern 175 #19,764
2001 modern 172 #19,696
2002 modern 181 #19,463
2003 modern 171 #19,953
2004 modern 158 #21,077
2005 modern 159 #20,983
2006 modern 150 #21,915
2007 modern 150 #22,212
2008 modern 144 #23,037
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 149 #23,598
2011 modern 147 #23,627
2012 modern 144 #23,902
2013 modern 149 #23,765
2014 modern 148 #24,075
2015 modern 144 #24,369
2016 modern 149 #23,844

Geography

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Where Odams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Boston (incl. Boston allotments), London parishes and St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Gwynedd, Mendip, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Kensington and Chelsea. 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 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 002 Cornwall
2 Gwynedd 016 Gwynedd
3 Mendip 011 Mendip
4 Nuneaton and Bedworth 015 Nuneaton and Bedworth
5 Kensington and Chelsea 018 Kensington and Chelsea

Forenames

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First names often paired with Odam

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Odam

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Odam, 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 Odam surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Odam 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Odam is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Odam is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Odam falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Odam is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Odam

The surname ODAM is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name "Adam," which means "son of Adam" or "earth." This patronymic surname was likely adopted to distinguish one family from another in the same village or region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ODAM surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Odeham" and "Odeham," indicating its evolution over time.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the ODAM surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name may have lived in or near the village of Odham, which is now known as Woodham Mortimer in Essex.

One notable historical figure with the ODAM surname was John Odam, a 15th-century English landowner and yeoman from Norfolk. He was born around 1420 and is mentioned in several medieval records related to land transactions and legal disputes.

Another prominent individual bearing the ODAM name was William Odam, a 16th-century English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers in London. He was born in 1540 and played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the ODAM surname gained further recognition with the birth of Samuel Odam (1625-1701), a renowned English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Beverley Minster in Yorkshire.

During the 18th century, the ODAM name was associated with the village of Oldham, located in Greater Manchester. This connection is evident in the life of John Odam (1734-1803), a notable English industrialist and entrepreneur who established several textile mills in the region, contributing to the growth of the industrial revolution.

In the 19th century, the ODAM surname continued to appear in various records, including the birth of Charles Odam (1841-1912), a respected English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, such as the Royal Courts of Justice and the National Portrait Gallery.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Odam families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Odam 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. Devon leads with 37 Odams recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.46x.

County Total Index
Devon 37 14.46x
Middlesex 19 1.55x
Northamptonshire 17 14.71x
Nottinghamshire 14 8.45x
Yorkshire 9 0.74x
Surrey 7 1.17x
Renfrewshire 5 5.25x
Bedfordshire 4 6.29x
Somerset 4 2.02x
Worcestershire 3 1.87x
Essex 2 0.82x
Kent 2 0.48x
Royal Navy 2 13.65x
Staffordshire 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Basford in Nottinghamshire leads with 8 Odams recorded in 1881 and an index of 104.71x.

Place Total Index
Basford 8 104.71x
Bishops Tawton 8 1000.00x
Chertsey 7 180.88x
Plymouth St Andrew 7 35.52x
South Molton 7 496.45x
Westminster St John 7 46.76x
Bramley In Bramley 6 128.76x
Peterborough 6 71.68x
Erskine 5 724.64x
Newborough 5 1724.14x
Bedford St Peter 4 242.42x
Clerkenwell London 4 13.79x
Minehead 4 533.33x
Oundle 4 310.08x
Southwell 4 330.58x
Chelsea London 3 8.10x
Exeter St David 3 136.99x
Islington London 3 2.52x
Kings Norton 3 20.85x
Plymouth Charles The 3 26.62x
Exeter St Mary Major 2 129.87x
Harlow 2 190.48x
Keighley 2 15.41x
Kensington London 2 2.93x
Newton Abbot St Mary 2 93.02x
Nottingham St Mary 2 4.67x
Paston 2 408.16x
Royal Navy 2 15.97x
Tiverton 2 45.35x
Burton Upon Trent 1 10.30x
Devonport 1 34.01x
Harewood 1 333.33x
Lewisham 1 4.47x
Stoke Damerel 1 5.59x
Tonbridge 1 6.61x
Topsham 1 82.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 8
Ann 3
Caroline 3
Elizabeth 3
Alice 2
Eliza 2
Ethel 2
Fanny 2
Martha 2
Susan 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Cecil 1
Charlotte 1
Christina 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Flora 1
Frances 1
Ida 1
Infant 1
Jane 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
Rebecca 1
Susanna 1
Thersa 1
Wilhelmina 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Odam surname: questions and answers

How common was the Odam surname in 1881?

In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Odam surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Odam surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016. That gives Odam a modern rank of #23,844.

What does the Odam surname mean?

A variant of the English surname Adam, derived from the Hebrew given name meaning "earth" or "red."

What does the Odam map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Odam 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.