Last Names

Surnames / S

Sham

How common is the last name Sham?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Sham, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#33,810

Sham was the 33,810th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 673 people, about 0.2 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)20.9%
  • Hispanic or Latino<0.1%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)2.1%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander69.4%
  • Two or more races6.2%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native<0.1%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.