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Home › Baby Names Directory › Needham

Needham

♂ Boy

Pronounced NEED-uhm /ˈniː.dəm/Medium

Meaning: Needham is an English place-and-surname name from Old English, combining a first element read as 'need' (poverty, or a nook) with 'ham' (homestead), traditionally explained as a 'poor homestead' or a settlement in a hollow. There are places called Needham in Norfolk and Suffolk.Low

In 30 seconds: Needham is a boy's name from an English surname meaning roughly 'homestead in need'. It appears in US records from 1884, peaking around 1923 (said NEED-uhm).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningNeedham is an English place-and-surname name from Old English, combining a first element read as 'need' (poverty, or a nook) with 'ham' (homestead), traditionally explained as a 'poor homestead' or a settlement in a hollow. There are places called Needham in Norfolk and Suffolk.
U.S. rank (1962)#4459 ↘ Falling
1962 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1923
Total births (all-time)≈ 328

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192718841962

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Needham comes from an Old English place-name joining 'need' with 'ham' (homestead), often glossed as a 'poor' or 'needy' settlement. As a surname it crossed to America, where families occasionally revived it as a given name.

It was never common as a first name, given to only about fifteen boys a year at its 1923 peak, and it left the records by the early 1960s. A boy named Needham then belongs to a great-grandfather's generation now, and it remains a rare surname-name.

Did you know? Needham is best known today as a surname and place-name, including Needham, Massachusetts, and its use as a first name reflects the old habit of honoring a family surname.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Needham — English surname/place, Old English need + ham ('poor homestead'); rare US boy usage

Variations

NeedamNeedum

Nicknames

NedDeum

Famous Bearers

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If you like Needham…

Markham— a like English -ham surname name
Latham— a same-style -ham heritage name
Denham— a comparable -ham surname first name
Isham— a fellow English choice
Hiram— echoes that soft -am sound

Explore names like Needham

By themerareenglishvintageplace-namesurname

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Needham mean?

It is from an English place-name and surname, from Old English 'need' plus 'ham' (homestead), traditionally 'poor homestead' or a settlement in a hollow.

How do you pronounce Needham?

It is said NEED-uhm /ˈniː.dəm/ - two syllables.

Is Needham a boy or girl name?

Needham is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Needham?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak in the early nineteen-twenties.

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