2000
#30,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Wambach
A German surname deriving from the term for a rounded hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 851 Americans carry the last name Wambach. That puts it at #33,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 402,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wambach 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
851
1 in 402,767
Census rank
#33,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
742
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 742 bearers of the surname Wambach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wambach
The surname WAMBACH is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "wam," meaning "belly" or "paunch," and the suffix "-bach," which refers to a stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent belly who lived near a stream.
The earliest recorded instance of the name WAMBACH can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It is believed that the name first appeared in local tax records and municipal documents during this period. In the 14th century, a variant spelling, "Wambacher," was found in the records of the town of Augsburg.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name WAMBACH was Hans Wambach, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he owned a sizable plot of land near the river Tauber, which lends credence to the theory that the name was initially associated with living near a body of water.
In the 16th century, the WAMBACH name spread to other regions of Germany, with several notable individuals emerging. Johann Wambach (1492-1561) was a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He served as a pastor in the city of Nuremberg and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
During the 17th century, a prominent member of the WAMBACH family was Philipp Wambach (1615-1693), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Germany.
In the 19th century, Carl Wambach (1829-1912) was a renowned German historian and archaeologist. He made significant contributions to the study of Roman antiquities in the Rhine region and published several influential works on the subject.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Wambach (1837-1920), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings and public spaces in Berlin, including the Reichstag building and the Charlottenburg Palace gardens.
Throughout its history, the WAMBACH surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wambach
Among Census respondents with the surname Wambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wambach 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 Wambach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 654
- Two or more races5.5% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 24
- Black or African American1.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wambach
Wambach 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
#30,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 779
+48 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 128 places
2020
#33,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 742
-37 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 3,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,229 | 731 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,101 | 779 | 0.26 | +48 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 128 places |
| 2020 | #33,102 | 742 | 0.25 | -37 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 3,001 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 Wambach 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 | #30,101 | #33,102 | -10.0% |
| Count | 779 | 742 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.25 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wambach bearers went from 779 to 742 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 3,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,101 to #33,102.
FAQ
Wambach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wambach?
Name Census estimates that about 851 living Americans carry the surname Wambach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 402,767 residents.
How common is Wambach?
Wambach ranks #33,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 742 people with the surname Wambach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wambach.
Has Wambach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wambach went from 779 recorded bearers to 742. That is a decrease of 37 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,101 to #33,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Wambach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wambach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Wambach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wambach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Wambach (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 Wambach mean?
A German surname deriving from the term for a rounded hill or mound. 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 Wambach (0.25 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 people have the last name Wambach?
See how many people have the surname Wambach on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.