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

Wakeman, 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 Wakeman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wakeman in America

Wakeman is the 11463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wakeman surname appeared 2,748 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 Wakeman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wakeman 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 Wakeman

The surname WAKEMAN is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English words 'wacu' meaning 'watchman' and 'mann' meaning 'man'. The name referred to a person who was employed as a watchman or guard, often tasked with keeping watch over a town or village.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name WAKEMAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a certain Richard Wakeman is listed as a taxpayer. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a John le Wakeman is mentioned.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name WAKEMAN was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. It is possible that the name may have been associated with the town of Wakeman in Warwickshire, which could have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.

Notable individuals who bore the surname WAKEMAN include:

1. Robert Wakeman (1585-1643), an English Jesuit priest who served as a confessor to King Charles I.
2. Sir George Wakeman (1621-1670), an English physician who attended to Queen Catherine of Braganza.
3. John Wakeman (1642-1697), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1690.
4. Henry Wakeman (1695-1765), an English ecclesiastical historian and author of several works on the history of the Church of England.
5. George Wakeman (1840-1914), a British architect who designed notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Throughout its history, the surname WAKEMAN has undergone various spellings, including Wakeman, Wakeman, Wacman, and Wacmann. These variations can be attributed to regional dialects, scribal errors, and the evolving nature of English spelling over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wakeman

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

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

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

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