2000
#7,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Wages
An English occupational surname for a person who was employed for a regular wage or salary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,456 Americans carry the last name Wages. That puts it at #8,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wages 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
4.5K
1 in 76,920
Census rank
#8,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,886 bearers of the surname Wages in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wages, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wages
The surname "Wages" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name or geographical feature. One possible origin is that it comes from the Old English word "wæge," which means "weighing scales" or "balance." This could suggest that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a set of weighing scales, perhaps in a market town or trading center.
Another theory is that the name is derived from the Old English word "wæg," meaning "way" or "path." In this case, the surname may have been given to someone who lived near a well-traveled road or pathway. It's also possible that the name is related to the Old English word "wægan," meaning "to carry" or "to convey," which could indicate that an early bearer of the name was involved in transporting goods or materials.
While there are no definitive historical records of the name's earliest appearance, it is likely that the surname emerged during the 11th or 12th century, when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1196, which mention a William de Wages.
Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1214, which refer to a Robert de Wages. These early spellings, with the "de" prefix indicating "of" or "from," suggest that the name was initially associated with a specific place or location.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Wage, Wags, and Waggs. Some notable individuals with the surname "Wages" include:
1. John Wages (c. 1555-1619), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Thetford.
2. William Wages (c. 1590-1668), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of logarithms.
3. Mary Wages (c. 1620-1685), one of the first female physicians in England and a pioneer in the field of midwifery.
4. Thomas Wages (c. 1675-1744), an English architect who designed several notable churches and public buildings in London.
5. Elizabeth Wages (c. 1710-1782), a British poet and writer whose works were widely published and acclaimed during her lifetime.
While the surname "Wages" is not among the most common surnames in England today, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wages
Among Census respondents with the surname Wages, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wages 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 Wages surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 3,298
- Black or African American6.2% · 241
- Two or more races4.7% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wages
Wages 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
#7,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,180
+14 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 542 places
2020
#8,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,886
-294 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,373 | 4,166 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,915 | 4,180 | 1.42 | +14 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 542 places |
| 2020 | #8,152 | 3,886 | 1.30 | -294 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 237 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 Wages 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 | #7,915 | #8,152 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,180 | 3,886 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.30 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wages bearers went from 4,180 to 3,886 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 237 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,915 to #8,152.
FAQ
Wages surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wages?
Name Census estimates that about 4,456 living Americans carry the surname Wages. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,920 residents.
How common is Wages?
Wages ranks #8,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,886 people with the surname Wages. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wages.
Has Wages become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wages went from 4,180 recorded bearers to 3,886. That is a decrease of 294 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,915 to #8,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Wages?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wages, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Wages in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (3,298 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wages appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Wages (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 Wages mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who was employed for a regular wage or salary. 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 Wages (1.30 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 Wages?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Wages is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.