The Chatham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,066 people carried this name — #8,155 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 72,500 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (4,054).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Chatham surname

An English habitational surname from the place name.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Chatham» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Chatham in American newspapers,
1900–1919.

Newspaper page from Democratic Messenger carrying the name Chatham
Democratic Messenger 1910-03-26
Newspaper page from South Bend News-times carrying the name Chatham
South Bend News-times 1919-02-16
Newspaper page from Cameron County Press carrying the name Chatham
Cameron County Press 1900-10-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 647 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Chatham in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

5,233 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chatham. The most, 2,279, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 5.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 2,506
New South Wales 1,657
South Australia 363
Queensland 338
Western Australia 163
ACT (Canberra) 101
Tasmania 100
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chatham.

Who carried it

People named Chatham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Gösta Chatham
    Gösta Chatham 1886–1961 · artist
  • Richard Thurmond Chatham
    Richard Thurmond Chatham 1896–1957 · politician
  • Hampe Faustman
    Hampe Faustman 1919–1961 · actor
  • John Purnell Chatham 1872–1914 · sailor
  • DeWitt Thurmond Chatham 1899–1990
  • Alice King Chatham 1908–1989 · sculptor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Chatham,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States226 records

226 records of the Chatham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 137
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 39
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 21
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 15
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 10
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 4
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John P. Chatham

    Born 1901 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; surveyor. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1951, buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Chatham

    Arrived at Boston in 1849 aboard the Mortimer Washington from Liverpool, aged 26; baker. From Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record George Ferry Chatham

    Veteran. Born 1891, died 1972; buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 226 records for Chatham in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia56 records

56 records of the Chatham name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 22
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 21
  • Tasmanian Names Index 5
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Leonard Chatham

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Tottenham, arriving 1818; ticket of leave 1827.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Matilda Chatham

    Arrived in Queensland in 1886 aboard the Selkirkshire, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John McGrath Chatham

    Grazier of Ballarat, Victoria; died 1992.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 56 records for Chatham in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Chatham name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Chatham

    Buried in 1986 at Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.

    Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence

Showing 1 of 3 records for Chatham in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Chatham name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Wm Chatham

    Buried in 1805 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 62.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Chatham

    Lance Corporal, Leicestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Chatham

    East Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Chatham name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Leslie John Chatham

    Born 1919 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Muret (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Chatham name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Charlotta Chatham

    In a population register; born 1816 in Londen.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Chatham.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Chatham is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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