2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Banwait
Of Indian origin, referring to one who lived in a forest or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 337 Americans carry the last name Banwait. That puts it at #71,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,017,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banwait surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Banwait with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
337
1 in 1,017,075
Census rank
#71,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Banwait in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banwait, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Hispanic (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banwait
Among Census respondents with the surname Banwait, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Hispanic (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Banwait bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Banwait surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.3% · 286
- White2.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banwait
Banwait appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#91,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
+74 bearers (+58.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 33,247 places
2020
#71,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
+93 bearers (+46.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 20,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,625 | 201 | 0.07 | +74 bearers (+58.3%) | Up 33,247 places |
| 2020 | #71,480 | 294 | 0.10 | +93 bearers (+46.3%) | Up 20,145 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Banwait surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #91,625 | #71,480 | 22.0% |
| Count | 201 | 294 | 46.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.10 | 40.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banwait bearers went from 201 to 294 (+46.3% change). The surname moved up 20,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,625 to #71,480.
FAQ
Banwait surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banwait?
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the surname Banwait. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,017,075 residents.
How common is Banwait?
Banwait ranks #71,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 294 people with the surname Banwait. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Banwait.
Has Banwait become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banwait went from 201 recorded bearers to 294. That is an increase of 93 (+46.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,625 to #71,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Banwait?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banwait, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Hispanic (0.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Banwait in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banwait appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.3%), White (2.0%), Hispanic (0.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Banwait (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Banwait mean?
Of Indian origin, referring to one who lived in a forest or wooded area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Banwait (0.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Banwait?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.