Burcham
A surname probably built from the name Burch, with the ending -ham added in English usage.
The #6,205 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,013 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Burcham is most likely an English surname formed from the older personal or surname form Burch, with the common place-name ending -ham added later. In English surnames, -ham can point to a settlement or homestead, but in names like this it may also be a spelling-shaped expansion of an earlier family name rather than a literal place origin. The first element is probably connected to Burch, itself associated with birch or with related medieval name forms.
History
The name is attested in 19th-century surname lists alongside Burch, Burchell, and related forms, which suggests it was treated as part of that broader surname family. In modern records it is uncommon, and the spellings have likely been fairly stable in English-speaking countries. Its distribution in the United States today reflects later migration from Britain rather than a large independent American origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
It appears in 19th-century surname reference lists, but not as one of the better-known English surnames, which helps explain its relatively low modern frequency.
From the historical record
“Brooker, Broome, Bruning, Brunnon, Bucknell, bugnon, bulmer, burcham, burden, burdine, bur- rington, Buttolph, Byby, Byfield. Caillouel, Calloway% Cambreling, Candish and Candlish, Capewell, Capt or Copt, Carbett, Car- der, Cargill, Carivano, Carriel and Carrail,”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)