The Gorham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,458 people carried this name — #4,190 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 8,113 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gorham surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: William de Gorham, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 330 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 12 births for the Gorham name in 1890.

Most were registered in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 12

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

87 families named Gorham, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 431 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 37
Connecticut 34
Vermont 6
Maine 3
New York 3
Rhode Island 2
Pennsylvania 1
North Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gorham in American newspapers,
1880–1925.

Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Gorham
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1925-03-20
Newspaper page from The New Bloomfield, Pa. Times carrying the name Gorham
The New Bloomfield, Pa. Times 1880-05-18
Newspaper page from The New Bloomfield, Pa. Times carrying the name Gorham
The New Bloomfield, Pa. Times 1880-05-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 183,992 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gorham in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

3,742 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gorham. The most, 734, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,336
Victoria 526
South Australia 225
Tasmania 221
Western Australia 209
Queensland 135
ACT (Canberra) 68
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Gorham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Benjamin Gorham d. 1821
  • Caroline Eliza Gorham d. 1915
  • Florence Mary Hill d. 1962
  • Robert M. Gorham d. 1995
  • Desire Howland Gorham 1625–1683
  • James Gorham 1650–1707

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gorham,
in the records of 5 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 States892 records

892 records of the Gorham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 307
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 201
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 152
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 79
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 73
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 63
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 10
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Marc Charles Gorham

    Born 1950; from Portland, Oregon. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Harold E. Gorham

    Born 1915 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1944 at Boston; craneman from Suffolk County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    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 Bridget Gorham

    Arrived at New York in 1869 aboard the India from Glasgow and Moville, aged 20; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 892 records for Gorham 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada113 records

113 records of the Gorham name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 99
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 4
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arthur James Gorham

    Buried in 1984 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 67.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elizabeth Gorham

    Died 1877 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Rist Gorham

    Died in service in 1942.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 113 records for Gorham in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · 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. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. 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); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia111 records

111 records of the Gorham name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 44
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 26
  • Tasmanian Names Index 20
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 10
  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 Martin Gorham

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Rodney, sailing from Queenstown in 1852. Native of Galway. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

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

    Arrived in Queensland in 1912 aboard the Orontes, aged 30.

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

    Typist of Parkville, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 111 records for Gorham in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Gorham name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. J. Gorham

    Corporal, Royal West Kent Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

    London 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 M. Gorham

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

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

Showing 3 of 5 records for Gorham in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (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).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Gorham 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 Arthur Gorham

    Died 1949, aged 59; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gorham.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gorham 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 Gorham volume
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