2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Waeghe
A locational surname originally denoting someone from a location with the German word "wag" meaning "scale" or "weight".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Waeghe. 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 Waeghe 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 Waeghe 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 Waeghe, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waeghe
The surname WAEGHE has its origins in the Low Countries, specifically in the Dutch-speaking regions of present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. It emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. The name is likely derived from a topographic term, possibly linked to a Dutch or Middle Dutch word referring to a path, road, or waterway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WAEGHE surname dates back to the late 14th century, appearing in a municipal record from the city of Ghent, in modern-day Flanders. This document mentions a certain Jan van Waeghe, who was a local merchant and guild member during that time.
In the 15th century, the WAEGHE name can be found in several historical documents from the region, such as property records and tax rolls. A notable example is Pieter Waeghe, a wealthy landowner and alderman in the town of Bruges, who lived between 1420 and 1489.
The earliest known spelling variations of the surname include Waeghene, Weghe, and Weghene, which were commonly used in various parts of the Low Countries during the late medieval and early modern periods.
One of the most prominent individuals to bear the WAEGHE surname was Joos van Waeghe, a Flemish Renaissance painter who lived from approximately 1475 to 1535. He was known for his religious and mythological works, some of which can still be found in museums and churches across Belgium.
Another notable figure was Jan van Waeghe, a Dutch colonial administrator and merchant who served as the Governor of the Dutch East Indies from 1698 to 1707. He played a significant role in expanding Dutch trade and influence in the region during that period.
In the 19th century, there was a Dutch botanist and horticulturist named Frederik Waeghe, who lived between 1810 and 1879. He was responsible for introducing several new plant species to Europe from his expeditions to South America and Asia.
A more recent example is Pieter Waeghe, a Belgian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 2004, representing the Christian Democratic and Flemish political party.
While the WAEGHE surname is most commonly found in Belgium and the Netherlands, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waeghe
Among Census respondents with the surname Waeghe, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Waeghe 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 Waeghe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waeghe
Waeghe 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,445 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,445 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 4,152 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 Waeghe 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 | #146,201 | #142,049 | 2.8% |
| Count | 113 | 120 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waeghe bearers went from 113 to 120 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 4,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,049.
FAQ
Waeghe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waeghe?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Waeghe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Waeghe?
Waeghe 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 Waeghe. 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 Waeghe.
Has Waeghe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waeghe went from 113 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 7 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Waeghe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waeghe, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Waeghe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waeghe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Waeghe (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 Waeghe mean?
A locational surname originally denoting someone from a location with the German word "wag" meaning "scale" or "weight". 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 Waeghe (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 are called Waeghe?
See how many people are called Waeghe on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.