2000
#9,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Wagstaff
An English occupational surname referring to a performer of comedic shows or a jester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,391 Americans carry the last name Wagstaff. That puts it at #10,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,078 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wagstaff 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 Wagstaff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,078
Census rank
#10,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,957 bearers of the surname Wagstaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wagstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wagstaff
The surname Wagstaff originated in England during the Middle Ages, possibly derived from the Old English words 'waeg' meaning 'way' and 'stæf' meaning 'staff,' referring to a person who carried a staff while traveling along a path or road. Alternatively, it may have originated from a place name such as Wagstaff in Staffordshire.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Wagstaff can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as 'Wacstaf.' The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to a 'William Wacstaf' in Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, variations of the name like 'Waxstaffe' and 'Wakstaffe' were recorded in various tax rolls and medieval documents across England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a 'John Waxstaff' in Worcestershire.
The Wagstaff surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with notable individuals like Thomas Wagstaff (1645-1677), a prominent English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. Another notable figure was Sir Joseph Wagstaff (1633-1700), a British merchant and Member of Parliament.
In the 18th century, Edward Wagstaff (1713-1768) was a notable English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theology and philosophy. William Wagstaff (1685-1770) was a renowned English physician and author of medical treatises.
During the 19th century, the Wagstaff family produced several notable figures, including Sir Walter Wagstaff (1815-1895), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several Arctic expeditions.
Throughout history, the Wagstaff surname has been associated with various places in England, such as the village of Wagstaff in Staffordshire, as well as locations in Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and other counties where the name was historically concentrated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wagstaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Wagstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wagstaff 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 Wagstaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 2,346
- Black or African American13.2% · 390
- Two or more races3.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wagstaff
Wagstaff 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
#10,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,037
+29 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 658 places
2020
#10,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,957
-80 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,895 | 3,008 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,553 | 3,037 | 1.03 | +29 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 658 places |
| 2020 | #10,361 | 2,957 | 0.99 | -80 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 192 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 Wagstaff 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 | #10,553 | #10,361 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,037 | 2,957 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.99 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wagstaff bearers went from 3,037 to 2,957 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,553 to #10,361.
FAQ
Wagstaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wagstaff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,391 living Americans carry the surname Wagstaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,078 residents.
How common is Wagstaff?
Wagstaff ranks #10,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,957 people with the surname Wagstaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,391), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Wagstaff.
Has Wagstaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wagstaff went from 3,037 recorded bearers to 2,957. That is a decrease of 80 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,553 to #10,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Wagstaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wagstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Wagstaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (2,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wagstaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Black (13.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Wagstaff (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 Wagstaff mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a performer of comedic shows or a jester. 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 Wagstaff (0.99 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 common is the surname Wagstaff?
Want to know how common the surname Wagstaff is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.