Find out how popular the last name Wagoner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wagoner.

Wagoner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wagoner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wagoner in America

Wagoner is the 2401st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wagoner surname appeared 15,118 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Wagoner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wagoner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wagoner

The surname Wagoner originated in medieval England, deriving from the Old English words "wægen" meaning wagon or cart, and "er" meaning one who works with or operates. It effectively translates to "one who drives a wagon" or "wagon driver."

The name emerged as an occupational surname during the Middle Ages, referring to individuals whose primary trade involved transporting goods and materials via horse-drawn wagons or carts. These wagoners played a crucial role in facilitating trade and commerce within towns and villages across England.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wagoner can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Wagonere." Other early spellings include "Waghenere" in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester from 1310 and "Wagnour" in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1384.

Notably, the Wagoner surname appears in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror. This influential record lists individuals with variants of the surname, such as "Wainerius" and "Wainarius," further solidifying the name's origins and presence in medieval England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname was John Wagoner, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. Another notable figure was William Wagoner, a member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, whose name appears in records dating back to 1415.

During the 16th century, the Wagoner surname gained further prominence, with individuals like Robert Wagoner, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524, and Thomas Wagoner, a merchant from London whose name is found in the Musters of the Merchants of the Staple in 1597.

In the 17th century, the name Wagoner was associated with several notable figures, including Edward Wagoner, a member of the Virginia Company who sailed to the Americas in 1620, and John Wagoner, a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1638.

As the centuries passed, the Wagoner surname continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, tradesmen, and even military personnel. One such notable figure was Joseph Wagoner, an American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and was present at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wagoner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wagoner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wagoner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wagoner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wagoner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wagoner, please contact us.

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