How common is the surname Needham?

10,983 people in the United States had the surname Needham in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 28,111 Americans. It ranked 3,289th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Needham?

Joseph Needham, British biochemist, historian and sinologist (1900–1995), followed by Hal Needham.

Where is the surname Needham most common?

Wikidata records people named Needham in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Needham getting more or less common?

More common. 10,809 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,983 in 2010, up 1.6%.

The surname Needham

An English surname, carried by 10,983 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex N350

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Needham is more common than 98% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Old English nīed (“need, necessity”) + hām (“homestead”), i.e. a place that provided a poor living.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 10,983 people named Needham in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 28,111 Americans. That is up 1.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,809.

#3,289

rank among US surnames

10,983

people in 2010

3.7

per 100,000 Americans

+1.6%

change since 2000 (was #3,074)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,280	Sell	11,014	28,032
#3,282	Mortensen	11,013	28,035
#3,283	Domingo	11,012	28,037
#3,284	Fanning	11,007	28,050
#3,285	Palumbo	11,005	28,055
#3,286	Hartmann	11,000	28,068
#3,287	Dial	10,997	28,075

Who is named Needham

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

90% of people named Needham identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.5% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 90%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Needhams

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Joseph Needham
British biochemist, historian and sinologist (1900–1995)
Hal Needham
American stunt performer and film director (1931-2013)
Matthew Needham
British actor, born 1984
James George Needham
American entomologist (1868–1957)
Tracey Needham
American actress, born 1967
Derek Needham
American and Montenegrin basketball player, born 1990

Notable Needhams come mostly from the United States (4) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Neadham

Needham has the Soundex code N350, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N350.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Needham come from?: From Old English nīed (“need, necessity”) + hām (“homestead”), i.e. a place that provided a poor living.
How common is the surname Needham?: 10,983 people in the United States had the surname Needham in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 28,111 Americans. It ranked 3,289th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Needham?: In the 2010 Census, 90% of people named Needham identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.5% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Needham?: Joseph Needham, British biochemist, historian and sinologist (1900–1995), followed by Hal Needham.
Where is the surname Needham most common?: Wikidata records people named Needham in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Is the surname Needham getting more or less common?: More common. 10,809 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,983 in 2010, up 1.6%.
What are other spellings of Needham?: Neadham.