2000
#25,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Wadleigh
A locational surname derived from a place name in Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,018 Americans carry the last name Wadleigh. That puts it at #28,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 336,694 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wadleigh 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
1.0K
1 in 336,694
Census rank
#28,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
888
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 888 bearers of the surname Wadleigh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wadleigh
The surname Wadleigh originated in England, derived from the Old English word "waed" meaning a ford or shallow place in a river, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. It is believed to have first emerged as a place name in the county of Berkshire during the early Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wadelelega" in reference to a settlement located near the River Thames. This suggests that the name was initially borne by individuals residing in or near this area.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Wadleighe, Wadlye, and Wadley, before eventually settling on the more modern form of Wadleigh. These variations often reflected local dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Wadleigh was Sir John Wadleigh (c. 1470-1542), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset. He served as the High Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1521 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a free school in his hometown.
Another prominent individual was Richard Wadleigh (1611-1677), an early settler in colonial New England. He arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and later became one of the founders of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire, where he served as a selectman and held other leadership positions.
In the 18th century, Jeremiah Wadleigh (1720-1804) was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the New Hampshire militia and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill and the siege of Boston.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Wadleigh (1836-1911), a prominent businessman and politician from Ohio. He served as the mayor of Akron and was instrumental in the city's industrial and economic development during the late 1800s.
More recently, Clarence Wadleigh (1867-1941) was a renowned architect who designed numerous notable buildings across the United States, including the Seattle Art Museum and the Montana State Capitol building in Helena.
While the surname Wadleigh is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval England. Its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields, leaving a lasting impact on the communities and regions where they lived and worked.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wadleigh
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wadleigh 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 Wadleigh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 794
- Two or more races4.7% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 15
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wadleigh
Wadleigh 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
#26,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 909
+11 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,018 places
2020
#28,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 888
-21 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,782 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,754 | 898 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,772 | 909 | 0.31 | +11 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 1,018 places |
| 2020 | #28,554 | 888 | 0.30 | -21 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,782 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 Wadleigh 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 | #26,772 | #28,554 | -6.7% |
| Count | 909 | 888 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.30 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wadleigh bearers went from 909 to 888 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 1,782 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,772 to #28,554.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wadleigh
FAQ
Wadleigh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wadleigh?
Name Census estimates that about 1,018 living Americans carry the surname Wadleigh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 336,694 residents.
How common is Wadleigh?
Wadleigh ranks #28,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 888 people with the surname Wadleigh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,018), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Wadleigh.
Has Wadleigh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wadleigh went from 909 recorded bearers to 888. That is a decrease of 21 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,772 to #28,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Wadleigh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Wadleigh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wadleigh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Wadleigh (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 Wadleigh mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Yorkshire, England. 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 Wadleigh (0.30 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 last name Wadleigh?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wadleigh, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.