Byrum
An English surname most likely from a place-name, later established in the United States in forms like Byrum and Byram.
The #6,084 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,771 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Byrum is generally treated as a locational surname, most likely connected with the English place-name Byram in West Yorkshire. That place-name is usually explained as meaning 'at the byres' or 'by the cattle sheds,' from Old English elements referring to cow sheds or farm buildings. The surname would originally have identified someone who came from that place or lived near such a farmstead.
History
The name appears in English records in various spellings, and the modern surname has probably been influenced by both local pronunciation and later spelling simplification. In the United States, Byrum is found especially in the South, where it may reflect settlement by families whose earlier forms were Byram, Byrom, or similar variants. Because surname spelling was fluid for centuries, the same family line can appear under several related forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Byrum and Byram are often close cousins in family trees because older records frequently did not keep spellings consistent.