2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vawser
A variant spelling of the surname Vawser, possibly of Anglo-Saxon origin denoting someone from a particular place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Vawser. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vawser 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Vawser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vawser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vawser
The surname Vawser has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word "wawse," which meant a ford or shallow crossing point over a river or stream. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near such a crossing or worked there as a ferryman.
The Vawser surname is predominantly found in the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. Historical records show variations in spelling, including Vawcer, Vaucer, and Vawzer, which were likely due to inconsistencies in written records and regional dialects.
One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record compiled in 1273, where a William le Vawser is listed as residing in Lincolnshire. Another early mention is in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1315, which mentions a Richard Vawcer.
In the 16th century, the Vawser surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Nottinghamshire, a tax record from 1545, where a John Vawser is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the family had established itself in this area by that time.
One notable figure bearing the Vawser name was Robert Vawser (1592-1661), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Somerby in Lincolnshire during the 17th century. Another individual of note was Thomas Vawser (1713-1789), a farmer and landowner in Nottinghamshire who left a significant inheritance to his descendants.
Other individuals with the Vawser surname include:
1. John Vawser (1674-1745), a merchant and alderman in the city of Lincoln.
2. Elizabeth Vawser (1745-1821), a philanthropist and benefactor in Nottinghamshire.
3. William Vawser (1789-1863), a noted horticulturist and nurseryman in Lincolnshire.
4. Thomas Vawser (1812-1889), a prominent farmer and landowner in Nottinghamshire.
5. Mary Vawser (1834-1912), a teacher and author of children's books in Lincolnshire.
While the Vawser surname is relatively uncommon today, its historical roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the East Midlands region of England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for someone living near a ford or river crossing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vawser
Among Census respondents with the surname Vawser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vawser 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 Vawser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 96
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vawser
Vawser 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,904 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-12 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,904 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 11,901 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 Vawser 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 | #138,304 | #150,205 | -8.6% |
| Count | 121 | 109 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vawser bearers went from 121 to 109 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 11,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,205.
FAQ
Vawser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vawser?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Vawser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Vawser?
Vawser ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Vawser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Vawser.
Has Vawser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vawser went from 121 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Vawser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vawser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Vawser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vawser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Black (2.8%). 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 Vawser (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 Vawser mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Vawser, possibly of Anglo-Saxon origin denoting someone from a particular place name. 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 Vawser (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 surname Vawser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.