Find out how popular the last name Banwait is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Banwait.

Banwait, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Banwait surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Banwait in America

Banwait is the 91625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Banwait surname appeared 201 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Banwait.

We can also compare 2010 data for Banwait to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Banwait

The surname Banwait is of Anglo-Saxon origin, traced back to the regions of England during the early medieval period. Etymologists believe the name is derived from the Old English words "bæn" meaning bone and "wæit" meaning guard or watchman, suggesting it may have originally referred to a profession or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Banwæit" in reference to a landholder in the county of Yorkshire. This historical record indicates the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Banewayte" and "Banwyt" in medieval tax rolls and manorial records from the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name was more prevalent in the eastern regions of England during this time period.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Banwait include Sir William Banwait (1542-1616), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Grimsby during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another early recorded bearer of the name was John Banwait (1608-1678), a merchant and alderman in the city of York.

During the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals named Banwait residing in counties such as Derbyshire and Warwickshire. One notable example is Thomas Banwait (1674-1742), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Coventry.

In the 18th century, the surname Banwait continued to be found in various regions of England, with individuals such as Jonathan Banwait (1712-1789), a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in the county of Suffolk, and Elizabeth Banwait (1748-1822), a philanthropist and benefactor from the city of Bristol.

As the centuries progressed, the name gradually spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to countries around the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon regions of medieval England, where the name first emerged and was documented in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Banwait

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Banwait.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Banwait was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Banwait has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Banwait was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Banwait, please contact us.

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