2000
#11,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Wakeman
An occupational surname referring to a watchman or guard who woke people in the morning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,719 Americans carry the last name Wakeman. That puts it at #12,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wakeman 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 Wakeman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,059
Census rank
#12,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,371 bearers of the surname Wakeman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wakeman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wakeman 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 Wakeman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,176
- Two or more races3.0% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wakeman
Wakeman 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
#11,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,748
+226 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#12,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
-377 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,458 | 2,522 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,463 | 2,748 | 0.93 | +226 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #12,483 | 2,371 | 0.79 | -377 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 1,020 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 Wakeman 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 | #11,463 | #12,483 | -8.9% |
| Count | 2,748 | 2,371 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.79 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wakeman bearers went from 2,748 to 2,371 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 1,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,463 to #12,483.
FAQ
Wakeman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wakeman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,719 living Americans carry the surname Wakeman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,059 residents.
How common is Wakeman?
Wakeman ranks #12,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,371 people with the surname Wakeman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Wakeman.
Has Wakeman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wakeman went from 2,748 recorded bearers to 2,371. That is a decrease of 377 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,463 to #12,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Wakeman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Wakeman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wakeman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Wakeman (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 Wakeman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a watchman or guard who woke people in the morning. 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 Wakeman (0.79 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 Wakeman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.