2000
#11,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Wake
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, derived from the Old English word "wacu" meaning "watching" or "wakefulness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,615 Americans carry the last name Wake. That puts it at #12,893 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wake 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 Wake with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,072
Census rank
#12,893
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,280 bearers of the surname Wake in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12893rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wake, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wake
The surname Wake is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wacu," meaning a watch or vigil, or from the Old English personal name "Waca," derived from the same root.
The name Wake was initially associated with areas in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire in southwestern England. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wache" and "Wake."
One of the earliest prominent individuals with this surname was Hugh Wake, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He was granted lands in Dorset and Somerset, and his descendants took on the surname Wake.
In the 13th century, Baldwin Wake, who lived from around 1238 to 1282, was a notable English nobleman and Lord of Liddell. He was a prominent figure during the Barons' War against King Henry III and played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the Provisions of Oxford in 1258.
Another notable figure was Thomas Wake, who lived from around 1297 to 1349. He was a English nobleman and military commander who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence and the Hundred Years' War against France. He was also a member of the Council of Regency during the minority of King Edward III.
Sir Isaac Wake, who lived from around 1575 to 1632, was an English diplomat and politician. He served as Ambassador to Venice and Savoy and was also a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
Lastly, William Wake, born in 1657 and died in 1737, was an English prelate who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 until his death. He was a prominent figure in the Church of England and played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of his time.
The surname Wake has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Wake's Colne in Essex, Wakefield in Yorkshire, and Wakering in Essex. The name has also undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Wache, Wak, Wak, and Wayke.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wake
Among Census respondents with the surname Wake, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wake 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 Wake surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 1,791
- Black or African American10.6% · 242
- Two or more races4.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wake
Wake 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
#11,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,739
+309 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 319 places
2020
#12,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,280
-459 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,807 | 2,430 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,488 | 2,739 | 0.93 | +309 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 319 places |
| 2020 | #12,893 | 2,280 | 0.76 | -459 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,405 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 Wake 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 | #11,488 | #12,893 | -12.2% |
| Count | 2,739 | 2,280 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.76 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wake bearers went from 2,739 to 2,280 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,488 to #12,893.
FAQ
Wake surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wake?
Name Census estimates that about 2,615 living Americans carry the surname Wake. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,072 residents.
How common is Wake?
Wake ranks #12,893 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,280 people with the surname Wake. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,615), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Wake.
Has Wake become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wake went from 2,739 recorded bearers to 2,280. That is a decrease of 459 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,488 to #12,893.
What does the Census say about the background of Wake?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wake, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Wake in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (1,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wake appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Wake (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 Wake mean?
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, derived from the Old English word "wacu" meaning "watching" or "wakefulness." 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 Wake (0.76 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 Americans have the surname Wake?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.