The Denham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,156 people carried this name — #4,355 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,200 people counted. That is up 3% from 7,913 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Denham surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Denham’.

An early record he cites: Oliver de Denham, Cornwall, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 236 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 30 people named Denham live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in City of Buenos Aires.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

City of Buenos Aires 18
Buenos Aires Province 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Denham was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 12. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Denham in American newspapers,
1893–1913.

Newspaper page from The American Issue carrying the name Denham
The American Issue 1913-07-25
Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Denham
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1893-09-28
Newspaper page from The Manitowoc Pilot carrying the name Denham
The Manitowoc Pilot 1894-05-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Denham in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

56,520 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Denham. The most, 24,606, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 37,186
New South Wales 8,840
Victoria 5,456
South Australia 2,024
Western Australia 1,524
Tasmania 1,338
ACT (Canberra) 89
Northern Territory 16

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

Who carried it

People named Denham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alice Maud Denham
    Alice Maud Denham d. 1950 · fundraiser
  • Anne Morley
    Anne Morley d. 1671
  • John Denham
    John Denham 1559–1639 · judge
  • Mary Denham d. 1638
  • John Kenneth Denham d. 1943
  • Vaughn Harrison Denham d. 2018

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 Denham,
in the records of 8 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 States708 records

708 records of the Denham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 258
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 181
  • Other U.S. records 269
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Winston E. Denham

    Born 1913 in New York. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Upton Yaphank; clerk from Bronx County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph A. Denham

    Born 1909 in Georgia. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Benning; store manager from Fulton County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1964, buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 30; servant. From Edinburgh, Scotland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 708 records for Denham in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). 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).

Australia663 records

663 records of the Denham name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 331
  • Tasmanian Names Index 119
  • Other Australian records 213
  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 Adolphus Denham

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Plymouth in 1842. Native of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Hannah Denham

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duchess of Northumberland, sailing from Woolwich in 1852. Native of Sunderland, Durham. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Denham

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Alabama, aged 24; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 663 records for Denham 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada36 records

36 records of the Denham name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 20
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • Other Canadian records 9
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Doris Ann Denham

    Buried in 1993 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 72.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Francis Denham

    Buried in 1987 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Patrick James Denham

    Died 1890 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 36 records for Denham in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the Denham name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 16
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  • Other British records 3
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Robert Henry George Denham

    Born 1897 at Newcastle. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christina Denham

    Died 1988, aged 69; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Denham

    Buried in 1801 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 70.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 25 records for Denham in the United Kingdom.

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. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands24 records

24 records of the Denham name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 11
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 7
  • Dutch population registers 6
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Denham

    Died 1820 in Rotterdam, aged 37.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Herbert Alaster Denham

    Died 1963 in Velp, aged 49.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jannigje van den Ham

    Married in 1907 in Schiedam; born 1859 in Culemborg.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Schiedam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Denham in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand19 records

19 records of the Denham name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Emma Denham

    Died 1905, aged 56; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Cuthbert Denham

    Died 1912, aged 34; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Norman Clarence Denham

    Died 1943, aged 35; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Denham in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Belgium3 records

3 records of the Denham name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ursule Denham

    Died 1837 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Natalie Denham

    Born 1832 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Denham in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Denham 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 Barbara Dorothy Denham

    Born 1919 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Annecy (Haute-Savoie).

    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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Denham.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Denham 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.

See the Denham volume
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