Durham
A locational surname originally identifying someone from the city of Durham in northeast England.
The #792 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,076 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Durham is a habitational surname from the city of Durham, whose name was recorded in medieval sources in forms such as Duresme. The place-name is generally understood to go back to Old English words for a hill or fortified place, combined with influence from the Old English and Latin name forms used in medieval records. In plain terms, the surname means "from Durham."
History
The surname appears in England as a place-based byname for people who had moved away from Durham or who were associated with the city or county. Because Durham was an important northern ecclesiastical and administrative center, the name spread through northern England and later much farther afield. It is now well established in English-speaking countries, especially in Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower explicitly notes the city as anciently written "Duresme," a form that helps show how medieval spellings of place-names could differ sharply from modern ones.
From the historical record
“DURHAM. The beggarly Baliola. The base Bellasis. The bloody Brackenburles. The bold Bertrams The bauld Blakestones. The brave Bowes. The bare-boned Buhners. The bacchanalian Burdons, The clacking Claxtons.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom