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

Wamback, 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 Wamback surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wamback in America

Wamback is the 143149th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wamback surname appeared 116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wamback.

The history of the last name Wamback

The surname WAMBACK is believed to have originated in Germany sometime during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "wam" meaning belly or stomach, and "bach" meaning stream or creek. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near a small waterway in a low-lying or belly-shaped area.

While the name's exact origins are unclear, some of the earliest recorded instances can be found in various German municipal records from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a Hans Wamback is listed as a resident of Nuremberg in 1492. Another early reference is to a Greta Wamback, who was born in the town of Rottweil in 1508.

By the 17th century, variations of the name had spread across parts of central Europe. In 1627, a man named Johann Wambeck is recorded as having been a merchant in the city of Essen. Around the same time, a Peter Wambachen is noted as a landowner in the Swiss village of Zug in 1632.

As the name dispersed over the following centuries, it underwent various spellings and localized corruptions. Some of these included Wambeck, Wambacher, and Wampach. A notable bearer was the German theologian Johann Balthasar Wambach, who lived from 1679 to 1751 and authored several religious texts.

In the 19th century, the industrialist and philanthropist Franz Wambach, born in 1828, established several factories and social welfare institutions in his hometown of Mühlhausen, Germany. Another individual of some renown was the Bavarian chess master Theodor Wambach, who competed in international tournaments from 1881 until his death in 1917.

While predominantly found in Germany and neighboring regions, the name sporadically appears in records from other parts of Europe as well. An early example is a Flemish poet named Jan van Wambacke, who wrote satirical works in the mid-1400s lampooning the aristocracy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wamback

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

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 Wamback 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.

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

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

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