Needham Surname

16,396th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 33,864 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Isle of Man

Needham Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. (1) 'of Needham,' a parish in Norfolk; (a) a market-town in Suffolk;(3) of Needham, an estate in Derbyshire, from which place Earl Kilmorey's family took their name (Lower). The surname is familiar both in Lancashire, and Derbyshire, especially the first, and in that portion which is adjacent to the Derbyshire border.

Read More About This Surname

Needham Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States15,2081:23,8333,000
England11,1321:5,005697
Australia2,5201:10,7131,588
Canada1,8411:20,0142,780
New Zealand7071:6,4051,073
Jamaica5501:5,218677
South Africa5381:100,70212,197
Ireland4051:11,6271,452
Wales2621:11,8111,311
Scotland1851:28,9403,034
Chile1011:174,4215,727
Northern Ireland591:31,2723,207
France501:1,328,454133,611
Thailand381:1,858,904228,660
Isle of Man331:2,601535
Denmark241:235,19618,480
Zimbabwe241:643,26047,966
Germany191:4,237,129172,669
Greece171:651,75273,285
Costa Rica121:398,3393,755
Netherlands111:1,535,19878,311
Jersey101:9,9202,003
Spain101:4,675,20478,608
Brazil101:21,407,433350,627
Sweden81:1,230,84590,587
British Virgin Islands71:4,513453
Malaysia71:4,213,461150,293
China51:273,464,31313,838
Switzerland51:1,642,58387,307
Indonesia51:26,449,839597,308
Guatemala51:3,216,5347,141
Dominican Republic41:2,608,23320,941
Guernsey41:16,1101,225
Singapore41:1,376,92628,409
India31:255,688,4611,306,352
Mexico31:41,375,40271,397
Hong Kong31:2,445,1619,595
Italy21:30,578,344160,757
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
United States Virgin Islands21:55,1886,229
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
Norway21:2,571,14395,402
Nepal21:14,240,47817,812
Venezuela11:30,204,07785,459
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Egypt11:91,935,754132,737
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Argentina11:42,743,414282,706
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland3041:14,5721,870
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England6,2351:3,909556
Wales871:18,0281,057
Scotland601:62,3873,880
Jersey41:12,9712,116
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,9701:16,9092,160

Needham (356) may also be a first name.

Needham Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. (1) 'of Needham,' a parish in Norfolk; (a) a market-town in Suffolk;(3) of Needham, an estate in Derbyshire, from which place Earl Kilmorey's family took their name (Lower). The surname is familiar both in Lancashire, and Derbyshire, especially the first, and in that portion which is adjacent to the Derbyshire border.

Thomas de Nedham, Norfolk, 1227: History of Norfolk.

Albric de Nedham. Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John de Nedham, Derbyshire, ibid.

1578. Thomas Needham, Staffordshire: Register of the University of Oxford.

1587. John Nedham, Leicestershire: Register of the University of Oxford.

1596. Baptised — Ann, d. Henry Needam: St. Peter, Cornhill.

1631. James Needham, of Ringstones, Cheshire: Wills at Chester.

1634. Grace Needham, of Ringstones, Cheshire: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) belonging to Needham (Norf., Suff., Derby), 13th cent. Nedham [The first element here is somewhat doubtful —perh. a pers. name Néoda, from Old English néod zeal (cp. Needingworth, Hunts), in which case the second element will be Old English hám, a home, residence, rather than Old English ham(m an enclosure, piece of land Needwood, Staffs, was Nedwode in the Latin portion of a charter of Eadred A.D. 951.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Ó Niadh In Co. Galway this preserves the correct anglicized form Nee, but in Mayo it is sometimes Needham. MIF 193

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Ó Niadh In Co. Galway this preserves the correct anglicized form Nee, but in Mayo it is sometimes Needham. MIF 193

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

“Home on a Hill” in Old English.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English) One who came from Needham (needy or poor homestead), the name of several places in England.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

1. A market-town in Suffolk, and a parish in Norfolk. 2. Earl Kilmorey's family took their name from Needham, co. Derby, where they resided temp. Edw. III., and probably much earlier.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Local. From Needham, a market—town in Suffolk, England—the village of cattle; Saxon, neat, Danish, nod, a herd, and ham, a village. In another sense it may denote the clean, fair town.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Frodo, brother of the Abbot of St. Edmund’s, Suffolk, a favourite physician of the Conqueror and a Norman, held in Suffolk and Essex 1086. He had a younger son, to whom he gave Mendham with Needham, from whom descended the families of M. and N. in Norfolk (Blomefield). The Earls of Kilmorey are a branch.

The Norman People (1874)

(English), Nete or Neot's home.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

A location name in Norfolk.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Needham Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Needham Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Needham occurs most in The United States. It may occur as:. For other potential spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Needham? popularity and diffusion

The last name Needham is the 16,396th most frequent surname at a global level. It is borne by around 1 in 215,200 people. This last name occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 49 percent of Needham reside; 47 percent reside in North America and 47 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 461,707th most frequently used first name in the world, held by 356 people.

The last name Needham is most frequently held in The United States, where it is carried by 15,208 people, or 1 in 23,833. In The United States it is primarily concentrated in: California, where 9 percent live, North Carolina, where 7 percent live and Florida, where 4 percent live. Beside The United States this surname occurs in 65 countries. It also occurs in England, where 33 percent live and Australia, where 7 percent live.

Needham Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Needham has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Needham surname grew 512 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 179 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it grew 133 percent between 1901 and 2014; in Wales it grew 301 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it grew 308 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Needham Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is predominantly Catholic (83%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Needham surname are 13.98% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 60.75% being registered with the political party.

The amount Needham earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 68.46% more than the national average, earning R 400,332 per year; in United States they earn 2.16% more than the national average, earning $44,082 USD per year and in Canada they earn 4.41% more than the national average, earning $51,875 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Needaham934/
Needdham934/
Needhaam932/
Neehdham931/
Needhamm931/
Needam921,245/
Nedham92163/
Needhan8653/
Neadham8630/
Neddham8615/
Nneedam868/
Neidham862/
Niedham862/
Nedkham862/
Needhom861/
Needahm861/
Nedhame861/
Needjam861/
Nesdham860/
Nedam83394/
Needhamová821/
Ngneedam801/
Needhane801/
Neidhaim800/
Needhain800/
Needhann800/
Needom77656/
Neddam77641/
Nadham77428/
Nnedam7791/
Nidham7782/
Neudam7741/
Needan7714/
Nedhan774/
Netdam774/
Nedgam773/
Nesdam773/
Niedam773/
Neidam772/
Nedaim771/
Nyedam771/
Nuedam771/
Neadam771/
Nedaam771/
Nodham770/
Nedhom770/
Neddame71136/
Nyiedam7171/
Neudahm7145/
Naidham7113/
Nejadam7112/
Nidhame7110/
Naadham715/
Nnadham714/
Neudamm713/
Nneedan711/
Ngnedam711/
Needoom711/
Needhon710/
Neidhan710/
Needahn710/
Nadam671,850/
Nidam671,458/
Nydam671,035/
Nedom67129/
Nodam6750/
Nedan6739/
Neidheim675/
Nayidham674/
Nejadasm672/
Nishdham672/
Nyiedame671/
Nedamova671/
Nyshdham671/
Naidhame671/
Neidhann670/

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Needham
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis