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

Waddell, 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 Waddell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waddell in America

Waddell is the 1691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waddell surname appeared 21,301 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Waddell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waddell 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 Waddell

The surname Waddell is believed to have originated in Scotland, deriving from the Old English word "wadel," which means "woad," a blue dye plant. It is thought to have been an occupational surname given to those involved in the cultivation or processing of woad.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland, with early recordings such as Radulfus Waddel in the Bain's Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland in 1189. The name appears in various spellings, including Wadel, Waddell, and Waddill.

In the 13th century, the name Waddell is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of instruments of homage and fealty to Edward I of England, which includes the names of many Scottish noblemen and landowners. This suggests that the Waddells held a prominent position in Scottish society at the time.

The Waddell surname is also associated with several place names, such as Waddell in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and Waddell Glen in Ayrshire, Scotland. These locations may have been named after individuals with the surname or served as the ancestral homes of Waddell families.

Notable individuals with the surname Waddell include:

1. James Iredell Waddell (1824-1886), an American naval officer who served in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
2. Peter Hately Waddell (1817-1891), an Irish-born Australian artist and writer known for his landscape paintings and writings about colonial life in Australia.
3. William Henry Waddell (1826-1894), an Irish-born American poet and journalist who served as a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War.
4. Alfred Moore Waddell (1834-1912), an American politician and lawyer who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina.
5. Robert Austin Waddell (1854-1923), an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Louisville Colonels and Philadelphia Phillies in the late 19th century.

While the surname Waddell has Scottish origins, it has spread to various parts of the world due to migration and is now found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waddell

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

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

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

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