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

Waithe, 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 Waithe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waithe in America

Waithe is the 35447th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waithe surname appeared 635 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waithe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waithe 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 Waithe

The surname WAITHE is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "wath," meaning a ford or shallow part of a river. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a ford or crossing point over a river.

The earliest recorded instances of the WAITHE surname can be traced back to the 13th century in counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where many place names incorporated the word "wath." One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard de Wath, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name "Watton" appears, which likely shares the same root as the WAITHE surname, further indicating its longstanding presence in England. Variations in spelling over the centuries included Wath, Wathe, Waithe, and Wayth, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.

Notable individuals bearing the WAITHE surname include Sir Richard Wath (c. 1490-1572), a prominent English lawyer and judge during the reign of Elizabeth I. Another early bearer of the name was John Waith (1588-1644), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

In the 17th century, Edward Waith (1628-1718) was a English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Boston, Lincolnshire. The WAITHE family also had connections to the clergy, with William Waithe (1757-1835) serving as the Archdeacon of Nottingham and later the Bishop of Lincoln.

Moving into the 19th century, Richard Waithe (1825-1904) was a noted English architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. His contemporary, John Waithe (1831-1897), was a successful businessman and philanthropist in London.

Throughout its history, the WAITHE surname has been associated with various occupations and social classes, ranging from tradesmen and clergymen to professionals and landowners, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name of Old English origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waithe

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!