2000
#14,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Waguespack
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Wéwak-Spak in northern France near the Belgian border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,203 Americans carry the last name Waguespack. That puts it at #14,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waguespack 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
2.2K
1 in 155,585
Census rank
#14,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,921 bearers of the surname Waguespack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waguespack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waguespack
The surname Waguespack has its origins in France, tracing back to the 17th century. It is believed to have evolved from the French phrase "vague ces paquets," which translates to "wave those bundles." This phrase was likely used to describe the actions of someone carrying or transporting goods, possibly near a body of water.
The earliest known record of the name Waguespack can be found in the parish records of St. Martin de Ré, an island off the western coast of France. In 1685, a man named Jean Waguespack is documented as a resident of the island, working as a fisherman.
As the name spread across France, variations in spelling emerged, such as Waguespaquet, Waguespack, and Wagespack. These variations likely resulted from regional differences in pronunciation and the inconsistent use of spelling conventions during that time period.
In the late 17th century, a small group of French settlers bearing the name Waguespack arrived in the Louisiana Territory, which was then under French control. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in this region is found in the baptismal records of the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, where a child named Pierre Waguespack was baptized in 1723.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Waguespack family established roots in various parts of Louisiana, particularly in the areas around Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Notable individuals with the surname Waguespack include:
1. Jacques Waguespack (1745-1822), a prominent landowner and planter in the Bayou Lafourche region.
2. Émile Waguespack (1810-1878), a successful businessman and trader who played a role in the development of the city of Lafayette.
3. Adeline Waguespack (1837-1914), a renowned educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in St. Landry Parish.
4. Léon Waguespack (1865-1942), a respected lawyer and judge who served on the Louisiana Supreme Court.
5. Edmond Waguespack (1892-1968), a renowned architect who designed several landmark buildings in New Orleans, including the Municipal Auditorium.
While the Waguespack surname is most prevalent in Louisiana, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the United States, as well as in Canada and other countries, as descendants of the original French settlers migrated and established new communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waguespack
Among Census respondents with the surname Waguespack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Waguespack 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 Waguespack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,771
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 83
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waguespack
Waguespack 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
#15,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,965
+133 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 192 places
2020
#14,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
-44 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,841 | 1,832 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,033 | 1,965 | 0.67 | +133 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 192 places |
| 2020 | #14,815 | 1,921 | 0.64 | -44 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 218 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 Waguespack 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 | #15,033 | #14,815 | 1.5% |
| Count | 1,965 | 1,921 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.64 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waguespack bearers went from 1,965 to 1,921 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 218 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,033 to #14,815.
FAQ
Waguespack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waguespack?
Name Census estimates that about 2,203 living Americans carry the surname Waguespack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,585 residents.
How common is Waguespack?
Waguespack ranks #14,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,921 people with the surname Waguespack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Waguespack.
Has Waguespack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waguespack went from 1,965 recorded bearers to 1,921. That is a decrease of 44 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,033 to #14,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Waguespack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waguespack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Waguespack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waguespack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Waguespack (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 Waguespack mean?
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Wéwak-Spak in northern France near the Belgian border. 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 Waguespack (0.64 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 Waguespack?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Waguespack, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.