2000
#1,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.40
Uncommon Last name
Varner
An occupational surname for a person who varnishes wood or operates a varnish factory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,799 Americans carry the last name Varner. That puts it at #2,046 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Varner 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
20K
1 in 17,312
Census rank
#2,046
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,266 bearers of the surname Varner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2046th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Varner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Varner
Among Census respondents with the surname Varner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Varner 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 Varner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 13,513
- Black or African American13.7% · 2,368
- Two or more races4.2% · 720
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 470
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Varner
Varner 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
#1,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,081
+807 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 6.13
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#2,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,266
-815 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,910 | 17,274 | 6.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,997 | 18,081 | 6.13 | +807 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #2,046 | 17,266 | 5.78 | -815 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 49 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 Varner 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 | #1,997 | #2,046 | -2.5% |
| Count | 18,081 | 17,266 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.13 | 5.78 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Varner bearers went from 18,081 to 17,266 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,997 to #2,046.
FAQ
Varner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Varner?
Name Census estimates that about 19,799 living Americans carry the surname Varner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,312 residents.
How common is Varner?
Varner ranks #2,046 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,266 people with the surname Varner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,799), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Varner.
Has Varner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Varner went from 18,081 recorded bearers to 17,266. That is a decrease of 815 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,997 to #2,046.
What does the Census say about the background of Varner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Varner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Varner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (13,513 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Varner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Varner (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 Varner mean?
An occupational surname for a person who varnishes wood or operates a varnish factory. 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 Varner (5.78 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 surname Varner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.