2000
#5,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,401
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Wampler
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wimples, a type of medieval headdress.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,908 Americans carry the last name Wampler. That puts it at #5,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wampler 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
6.9K
1 in 49,617
Census rank
#5,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,024 bearers of the surname Wampler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wampler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wampler
The surname Wampler is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "wampe," which means "belly" or "paunch." The name was likely a descriptive nickname given to someone who had a protruding belly.
The earliest known record of the surname Wampler dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances is in a document from 1287, which mentions a farmer named Konrad Wampler from the village of Altdorf.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Wampler began to appear in various church records and tax rolls across southern Germany. The spellings varied slightly, with variations such as Wampfer, Wampfler, and Wampeler being used interchangeably.
In the 18th century, members of the Wampler family emigrated from Germany to various parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable early Wampler was Johann Wampler, born in 1712 in Württemberg, Germany. He later immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1750s and settled in what is now Berks County.
Another significant figure with the Wampler surname was Christian Wampler, born in 1777 in Rockingham County, Virginia. He was a prominent farmer and landowner, and his descendants went on to establish several successful businesses in the region, including the Wampler Poultry Corporation.
In the 19th century, the Wampler name gained further recognition with the birth of Charles W. Wampler (1837-1920), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He later became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Virginia.
Other notable individuals with the Wampler surname include:
1. John C. Wampler (1856-1927), a U.S. Congressman from Missouri.
2. Isaac J. Wampler (1863-1940), a prominent educator and president of Bridgewater College in Virginia.
3. Ernest M. Wampler (1901-1983), a German-American chemist and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of synthetic rubber.
4. Helen Wampler (1935-2022), an American artist and sculptor, renowned for her abstract metal sculptures.
5. Troy Wampler (born 1971), a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter, known for his work in the folk and country genres.
While the Wampler surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a respected family name with a rich history spanning several centuries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wampler
Among Census respondents with the surname Wampler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wampler 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 Wampler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 5,533
- Two or more races3.8% · 226
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- Black or African American0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wampler
Wampler 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
#5,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,345
-56 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#5,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,024
-321 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,029 | 6,401 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,482 | 6,345 | 2.15 | -56 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #5,571 | 6,024 | 2.02 | -321 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 89 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 Wampler 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 | #5,482 | #5,571 | -1.6% |
| Count | 6,345 | 6,024 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.02 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wampler bearers went from 6,345 to 6,024 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,482 to #5,571.
FAQ
Wampler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wampler?
Name Census estimates that about 6,908 living Americans carry the surname Wampler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,617 residents.
How common is Wampler?
Wampler ranks #5,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,024 people with the surname Wampler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wampler.
Has Wampler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wampler went from 6,345 recorded bearers to 6,024. That is a decrease of 321 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,482 to #5,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Wampler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wampler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Wampler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (5,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wampler 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 (3.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Wampler (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 Wampler mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wimples, a type of medieval headdress. 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 Wampler (2.02 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 share the surname Wampler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.