2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wadsack
A fanciful surname potentially derived from a dialect word for a small sack or pouch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Wadsack. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wadsack 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Wadsack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wadsack
The surname WADSACK has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wad" and "sack," referring to a bag or sack made from woven material. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational name for someone who made or sold such bags.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Parish Register of Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, where a Thomas Wadsack was mentioned in 1586. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1628, which lists a William Wadsack.
During the 17th century, the name appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. Thomas Wadsack, born in 1642 in Blyth, Nottinghamshire, is one notable early bearer of the name.
In the 18th century, the WADSACK surname began to spread more widely across England. John Wadsack, born in 1712 in Lincolnshire, was a farmer and landowner whose descendants can be traced through various parish records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in literature is in the novel "The Wadsacks of Yorkshire" by Richard Wilkinson, published in 1839. The book chronicles the fictional Wadsack family and their rural life in the Yorkshire Dales.
Notable individuals with the WADSACK surname include:
1. Henry Wadsack (1786-1864), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Nottingham.
2. Elizabeth Wadsack (1822-1901), a pioneering educator and founder of the Wadsack School for Girls in Leeds.
3. Robert Wadsack (1861-1932), a renowned architect responsible for designing several landmark buildings in London.
4. William Wadsack (1887-1969), a celebrated English poet and writer, known for his vivid descriptions of rural life.
5. Margaret Wadsack (1904-1988), a trailblazing scientist and one of the first women to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
While the WADSACK surname may not be among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wadsack
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wadsack 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 Wadsack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 89
- Two or more races11.7% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 13
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wadsack
Wadsack 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,501 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 15,501 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 909 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 Wadsack 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 | #141,140 | #142,049 | -0.6% |
| Count | 118 | 120 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wadsack bearers went from 118 to 120 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,049.
FAQ
Wadsack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wadsack?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Wadsack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Wadsack?
Wadsack ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Wadsack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Wadsack.
Has Wadsack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wadsack went from 118 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Wadsack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Wadsack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wadsack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Two or More Races (11.7%), Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Wadsack (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 Wadsack mean?
A fanciful surname potentially derived from a dialect word for a small sack or pouch. 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 Wadsack (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 Americans have the surname Wadsack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.