History of your Surname
Get access to Ham family records.Start a free trial

Ham Family History

Ham Name Meaning

English (mainly southwestern) and German: variant of Hamm . Dutch: topographic name from ham ‘land in a river bend’ ‘enclosed meadow’ or a habitational name from any of several country houses and places called De(n) Ham. Compare Van Ham and Vanderham . French: habitational name from any of various places in northern France (Ardennes Pas-de-Calais Somme Moselle) named with the ancient Germanic word ham ‘meadow in the bend of a river water meadow flood plain’. Hungarian (Hám) Slovak (also Hám) and Croatian: nickname or occupational name from Hungarian hám (Croatian ham) ‘harness’. Alternatively it may be of German origin (see Hamm ). Slovenian: perhaps a nickname from the interjection ham ‘bite grab’. Alternatively it may be from dialect ham ‘harness’ (see 4 above) or of German origin (see Hamm ). Czech (also Hám): from a short form of the personal name Abraham .7: Korean: there is only one Chinese character for the Ham surname. Some sources report that there are sixty different Ham clans but only the Kangnŭng Ham clan can be documented. Although some records have been lost and a few generations are unaccounted for it is known that the founding ancestor of the Ham clan is Ham Kyu a Koryŏ general who fought against the Mongol invaders in the thirteenth century. His ancestor Ham Hyŏk was a Tang Chinese general who stayed in Korea after Tang China helped Shilla unify the peninsula during the seventh century. Another of Ham Hyŏk's ancestors Ham Shin accompanied Kim Chu-wŏn the founding ancestor of the Kangnŭng Kim family to the Kangnŭng area and hence the Ham clan became the Kangnŭng Ham clan. The first prominent ancestor from Kangnŭng whose genealogy can be verified is Ham Kyu the Koryŏ general. Accordingly he is regarded as the Kangnŭng Ham clan's founding ancestor. Compare Hahm 8: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 咸 see Xian 9: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 闞 see Kan 10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 范 see Fan 1 Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 譚 see Tan 1 Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 涵 (meaning ‘contain’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.

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


Similar surnames: Han, Ha, Nam, Hay, Hamm, Sham, Ram, Kam, Sam, Cham

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Ham family from?

You can see how Ham families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ham family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ham families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 138 Ham families living in Ontario. This was about 41% of all the recorded Ham's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ham families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ham surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Ham ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Student were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Ham. 35% of Ham men worked as a Farmer and 22% of Ham women worked as a Student. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ham were Cook and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Ham | 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

  • Farmer
    35%
  • Labourer
    14%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Cook
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Student
    22%
  • Housekeeper
    22%
  • Shipper
    15%
  • Teacher
    15%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Ham family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 162,000 census records available for the last name Ham. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ham census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ham

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Ham. 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 Ham immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 38,000 military records available for the last name Ham. For the veterans among your Ham ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ham military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ham family history

Discover More

What is the average Ham lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Ham life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Ham in 1944 was 36, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ham

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Ham family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Ham last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial