2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Drinkwalter
An occupational surname suggesting ancestors who worked near a wellspring or water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Drinkwalter. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drinkwalter 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.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Drinkwalter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkwalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drinkwalter
The surname DRINKWALTER is of English origin, emerging in the late 13th century. It is derived from the occupational term "drinkwater," referring to a person who purveyed drinking water or worked as a water carrier. The name likely originated in towns or villages where clean water sources were scarce, necessitating the trade of transporting potable water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a John Drinkwalter is mentioned. In the same century, a Henry Drinkwalter is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated 1273. These early references suggest the name was present in various regions of England during the Middle Ages.
The surname DRINKWALTER may have evolved from alternative spellings such as Drinkwater or Dryngwater, as evident in historical documents. For instance, the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310 lists a Thomas Dryngwater, potentially an ancestor of the modern DRINKWALTER lineage.
Notable individuals bearing the DRINKWALTER surname include Sir John DRINKWALTER (c. 1520-1589), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Aldborough in the 16th century. Another prominent figure was Richard DRINKWALTER (1609-1680), a Puritan clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Parish Registers of Dorset, where a William DRINKWALTER was born in 1632. Additionally, the DRINKWALTER family had a presence in Warwickshire, with the birth of Thomas DRINKWALTER recorded in the Parish Registers of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1675.
Moving into the 18th century, the DRINKWALTER name gained further recognition with the exploits of Captain James DRINKWALTER (1732-1801), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War. His bravery and leadership were celebrated in contemporary accounts and historical records.
Throughout its history, the surname DRINKWALTER has been associated with various locations across England, reflecting the mobility of its bearers over the centuries. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation, its occupational origins remain a testament to the importance of providing clean drinking water in the daily lives of medieval communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drinkwalter
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkwalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Drinkwalter 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 Drinkwalter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drinkwalter
Drinkwalter 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+25 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,772 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-24 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 13,772 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 21,888 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 Drinkwalter 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 | #129,047 | #150,935 | -17.0% |
| Count | 132 | 108 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drinkwalter bearers went from 132 to 108 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 21,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #150,935.
FAQ
Drinkwalter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drinkwalter?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Drinkwalter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Drinkwalter?
Drinkwalter ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Drinkwalter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Drinkwalter.
Has Drinkwalter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drinkwalter went from 132 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Drinkwalter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drinkwalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Drinkwalter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drinkwalter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Drinkwalter (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 Drinkwalter mean?
An occupational surname suggesting ancestors who worked near a wellspring or water source. 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 Drinkwalter (0.04 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 people have the last name Drinkwalter?
Want to know how common the surname Drinkwalter is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.