Latham
An English surname from a place name, most likely referring to someone from Lathom in Lancashire or a related northern settlement.
The #1,693 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,511 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Latham is an English locational surname. The historical sources connect it especially with Lathom in Lancashire, and sometimes with related spellings such as Letham or Laytham. The place-name itself is usually explained as meaning something like 'barn' or 'at the barns,' from an old northern word for a barn or byre.
History
The name appears in medieval records in forms such as de Lathom, showing its use as a local byname before surnames became fixed. Later spellings shifted toward Latham, which became the standard modern form. The surname spread beyond Lancashire and was also carried by families in other English counties.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers treated Latham and Lathom as closely related spellings of the same local name, and the modern spelling Latham is relatively recent.
From the historical record
“North Lane, 15B)! ibid. Ellen AkoheIi, of Latham, co. Lane, 'SW- Willi al Cheater (1541- 1 6io)i p. j. John Aakew, of Odnadcrley. Nonh Lane, ivn: Lancaahlre Wilb at Rkb- icond, 1. B.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances