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

Varner, 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 Varner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Varner in America

Varner is the 1997th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Varner surname appeared 18,081 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Varner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Varner 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 Varner

The surname Varner is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old German word "varnere," which means "traveler" or "wanderer." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Varnher, which appeared in the German town of Nürnberg in the 14th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Varnher, a merchant who lived in the city of Hamburg during the late 15th century. He was recorded in the city's trade records from 1472 to 1498.

In the 16th century, the Varner surname began to spread throughout Germany and into neighboring countries. It is believed that some Varners may have been among the German Protestants who fled religious persecution and settled in various parts of Europe and the Americas.

The name made its way to England in the late 16th century, where it was anglicized to Varner or Verner. One notable early bearer of the name in England was Sir Richard Varner, a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament who lived in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Varner surname began to appear in colonial America. One of the earliest recorded instances was John Varner, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1730s.

Other notable Varners throughout history include:

1. Heinrich Varner (1805-1879), a German-born American businessman and founder of the Varner Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.

2. Amelia Varner (1844-1918), an American educator and suffragist who fought for women's rights and was one of the first female principals in New York City.

3. Carl Varner (1888-1967), a Swedish-American artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings of the American West.

4. Wilhelm Varner (1892-1953), a German soldier and recipient of the Iron Cross during World War I.

5. Jeanne Varner (1925-2012), a French-American fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded the Varner Couture fashion label in New York City.

While the Varner surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread around the world, with bearers of the name found in many countries and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Varner

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

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 Varner 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 Varner 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 Varner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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