2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Waghorn
A surname derived from the Old English words "wægen" (wagon) and "horn" (horn), possibly referring to a wagon driver or maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Waghorn. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waghorn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Waghorn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Waghorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waghorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waghorn
The surname WAGHORN is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place called Waghorn in the county of Hampshire. This place name itself is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "wæg" meaning "wall" or "ridge," and "horn" referring to a spur or projection of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the WAGHORN surname can be found in Hampshire county records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John de Waghorn, mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Hampshire in 1285. The Feet of Fines were legal documents used to record the transfer of land ownership.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Waghorne, Waughorne, and Wawghorne, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling conventions of the time. In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Hampshire, the name is recorded as Waghorne.
In the 15th century, the WAGHORN surname began to spread beyond Hampshire to other parts of England. One notable individual from this period was John Waghorn, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the Paston family in Norfolk, dated around 1472.
One of the earliest known WAGHORN emigrants to the American colonies was Thomas Waghorn, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He is recorded in the "Cavaliers and Pioneers" list of early settlers in Virginia.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the WAGHORN surname was Samuel Waghorn (1730-1805), an English poet and schoolmaster from Somerset. His published works include "The Recluse," a collection of poems released in 1766.
Another notable WAGHORN was Thomas Waghorn (1800-1850), a British naval officer and explorer who established a successful overland route between England and India, known as the Overland Route. He played a significant role in improving communication and trade links between Britain and its colonies in the East.
During the 19th century, the WAGHORN surname gained further recognition with individuals like Reverend Henry Waghorn (1768-1846), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects, and Sir Thomas Waghorn (1824-1889), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and other parts of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waghorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Waghorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Waghorn 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 Waghorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 107
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waghorn
Waghorn appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 6,728 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 Waghorn 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 | #147,253 | #140,525 | 4.6% |
| Count | 112 | 122 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waghorn bearers went from 112 to 122 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 6,728 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #140,525.
FAQ
Waghorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waghorn?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Waghorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Waghorn?
Waghorn ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Waghorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Waghorn.
Has Waghorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waghorn went from 112 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 10 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Waghorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waghorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Waghorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waghorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Waghorn (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 Waghorn mean?
A surname derived from the Old English words "wægen" (wagon) and "horn" (horn), possibly referring to a wagon driver or maker. 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 Waghorn (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 Waghorn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.