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Cham Family History

Cham Surname Meaning

West African (Gambia): variant of Thiam. Vietnamese (Châm): unexplained. Cambodian: written ចម of Chinese origin (compare below). The surname ចម also corresponds to the Khmer word meaning e.g. ‘highest’ and ‘head.

Chinese: Hokkien or Taiwanese Romanization of the surname 詹 see Zhan. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 湛 see Zhan. Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surname 覃 see Tan or Qin. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾 see Zeng.

Filipino: of Chinese origin see 4 above. Amerindian (mainly Mexico): unexplained. French: habitational name from any of various places called Chalm often recorded as La Champ in Ardèche Drôme Haute-Loire Isère Lozère.

The surname is most common in Haiti where it may be of different origin. English (of Norman origin): historically in England this is (or was) a variant of Cain denoting someone from Caen Calvados (France).

However, in this sense it now seems to be extinct as a surname in Britain.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Cham family from?

You can see how Cham families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cham family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cham families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1911 there were 22 Cham families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Cham's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Cham families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cham surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Cham ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Cham. 23% of Cham men worked as a Labourer.

View Census Data for Cham | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Labourer
    23%
  • Waiter
    23%
  • Laborer
    23%
  • Cook
    17%

What Cham family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Cham. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cham census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Cham

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Cham. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Cham immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 20,000 military records available for the last name Cham. For the veterans among your Cham ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cham military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cham family history

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What is the average Cham lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Cham life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2001, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Cham in 1962 was 48, and 65 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cham

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cham ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cham family tree

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