Find out how popular the last name Waber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Waber.
A topographic name for someone who lived near a whirlpool or rapids.
Waber, 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 Waber surname is from the 2010 census data.
Waber is the 96799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Waber surname appeared 188 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waber.
We can also compare 2010 data for Waber 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 96799 | 74957 | 25.43% |
| Count | 188 | 240 | -24.30% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.06 | 0.09 | -40.00% |
The surname Waber originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "waben," which means "honeycomb" or "wafer." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who made or sold waffles or honeycomb.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waber can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a medieval record book from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to 1285. The entry mentions a certain "Johannes Waber" from the town of Eberswalde.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in several birth and marriage records across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. For instance, a "Hans Waber" was born in Nuremberg in 1472, while a "Katherina Waber" married a blacksmith named Ulrich in Leipzig in 1491.
The Waber surname is also associated with a few notable historical figures. One of the earliest was Johannes Waber (1488-1551), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. Another was Hans Waber (1506-1578), a Swiss painter and engraver known for his woodcuts and religious works.
In the 17th century, the name Waber spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. Records from this period show that a "Willem Waber" lived in Amsterdam in 1632, while a "Pierre Waber" was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1671.
Other notable individuals with the surname Waber throughout history include Johann Georg Waber (1711-1779), a German composer and organist; Friedrich Waber (1824-1901), a Swiss politician and author; and Emil Waber (1869-1947), a Swiss architect known for his work in Basel.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Waber.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Waber was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 92.55% | 174 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 4.26% | 8 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Waber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.55% | 93.33% | -0.84% |
| Black | 4.26% | 2.50% | 52.07% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | (S)% | 2.08% | (S)% |
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 Waber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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