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Nam Family History

Nam Surname Meaning

Korean: written 남 in Chinese characters 南 meaning ‘south’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Nam. As many as fifty-seven Nam clans are mentioned in the records but of these only four can be positively documented.

The founding ancestor of the Nam clans was a man named Kim Ch’ung. He was an emissary from Tang China on his way to Japan when a southerly storm blew his ship northward and forced it aground in Shilla Korea. The Shilla king Kyŏngdŏk (742–65) noting that he had come from the south renamed the emissary Nam in 755.

Compare Nahm Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 南 see Nan Chinese: Cantonese Teochew Hokkien and Taiwanese form of the surname 藍 see Lan.

Vietnamese: probably representing the Chinese surname 南 meaning ‘south’ see Nan 1 and the name in 2 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Nam family from?

You can see how Nam families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Nam family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Nam families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 10 Nam families living in Wiltshire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Nam's in United Kingdom. Wiltshire had the highest population of Nam families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Nam surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Nam ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Nam. 100% of Nam women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Nam | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Nam family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Nam. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nam census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Nam

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Nam. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Nam immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Nam. For the veterans among your Nam ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Nam military records

You've only scratched the surface of Nam family history

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What is the average Nam lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Nam life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1978, and highest in 1962. The average life expectancy for Nam in 1944 was 35, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Nam

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Nam ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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