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

Waid, 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 Waid surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waid in America

Waid is the 9245th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waid surname appeared 3,521 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Waid.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waid 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 Waid

The surname WAID is of English origin, first appearing in records during the late 16th century. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the Old English place name "Weald", which refers to a wooded area or forest. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the WAID surname likely hailed from or resided near such a wooded region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WAID surname can be found in the parish records of Lamberhurst, Kent, England, where a John Waid was documented in 1594. The variant spelling "Wade" was also common during this period, with several individuals bearing this name appearing in the Hearth Tax Returns for Yorkshire in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, the WAID surname gained prominence through notable figures such as Sir Patrick Waid (1796-1873), a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1849 to 1853. Another notable bearer was William Waid (1810-1886), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.

Other historical figures bearing the WAID surname include Robert Waid (1824-1901), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1865 to 1866. Additionally, George Waid (1838-1915) was a prominent Australian cricketer who represented Victoria in domestic cricket and played for the English touring team during the 1868 Aboriginal tour of England.

The WAID surname also has connections to various place names, such as Waid House, a historic building located in Anstruther, Scotland, and Waid Academy, a secondary school in Anstruther established in the 17th century by the will of a local merchant named James Waid.

Throughout its history, the WAID surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Wade, Wayde, and Waide, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions over time. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the WAID surname has left an indelible mark on various aspects of history, from politics and law to sports and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waid

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

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 Waid 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 Waid 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 Waid was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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