2000
#12,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Waldrep
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,346 Americans carry the last name Waldrep. That puts it at #14,094 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waldrep 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,102
Census rank
#14,094
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,046 bearers of the surname Waldrep in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14094th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldrep, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waldrep
The surname Waldrep has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "weald," meaning forest or woodland, and "rap," meaning rope or cord, suggesting a connection to someone who worked with ropes in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a person named Richard Walderep is mentioned. This suggests that variations of the name, such as Walderep and Walderop, were in use during that time period.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various records across different counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. This indicates that the name was widespread throughout the country and not limited to a specific region.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contain references to individuals with the surname Waldrep, such as William Waldrep and John Waldrep, both of whom were landowners in Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Waldrop, Waldropp, and Waldrope. One notable person with this surname was John Waldrop, a member of the Guild of Mercers in London, who lived from around 1340 to 1410.
In the 15th century, the name was found in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire, where a Roger Waldrope is mentioned in 1428.
Over the centuries, the Waldrep surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Thomas Waldrep (c. 1510 - 1585), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Sutton Courtney in Berkshire.
2. Edward Waldrope (c. 1570 - 1635), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in 1628.
3. John Waldrop (c. 1640 - 1717), an English Quaker and author who wrote several religious treatises.
4. William Waldrep (c. 1720 - 1790), a British merchant and landowner in Virginia, one of the early settlers in the American colonies.
5. Mary Ann Waldrep (1809 - 1891), an American educator and pioneer in women's education, who founded one of the first schools for girls in the state of Alabama.
The surname Waldrep is still found in various parts of the world today, with concentrations in the United Kingdom, United States, and other English-speaking countries, reflecting its English origins and the migration patterns of those who carried the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waldrep
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldrep, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Waldrep 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 Waldrep surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,849
- Two or more races4.8% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waldrep
Waldrep 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
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
-6 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 901 places
2020
#14,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
-176 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,726 | 2,228 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | -6 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 901 places |
| 2020 | #14,094 | 2,046 | 0.68 | -176 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 467 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 Waldrep 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 | #13,627 | #14,094 | -3.4% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,046 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.68 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waldrep bearers went from 2,222 to 2,046 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #14,094.
FAQ
Waldrep surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waldrep?
Name Census estimates that about 2,346 living Americans carry the surname Waldrep. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,102 residents.
How common is Waldrep?
Waldrep ranks #14,094 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,046 people with the surname Waldrep. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Waldrep.
Has Waldrep become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waldrep went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,046. That is a decrease of 176 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,627 to #14,094.
What does the Census say about the background of Waldrep?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldrep, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Waldrep in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,849 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waldrep appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Waldrep (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 Waldrep mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest valley. 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 Waldrep (0.68 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 common is the surname Waldrep?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Waldrep, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.