2000
#11,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Wanamaker
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a wagon or cart maker or repairer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,675 Americans carry the last name Wanamaker. That puts it at #12,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wanamaker 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
2.7K
1 in 128,132
Census rank
#12,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,333 bearers of the surname Wanamaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wanamaker
The surname WANAMAKER is of German origin, originating from the regions of Bavaria and Franconia in southern Germany during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is derived from the German words "Wanne" meaning a shallow tub or vessel, and "Macher" meaning maker or producer, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who crafted or produced tubs, barrels, or similar containers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the mid-16th century in various German parish records and town registries. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Wanamaker, a cooper (barrel maker) born around 1550 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in present-day Bavaria.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in several historical documents, including tax rolls and military records, indicating that individuals bearing the WANAMAKER name were scattered across various parts of southern Germany. One notable example is Johann Wanamaker, a soldier from Franconia who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a conflict that devastated large areas of Central Europe.
As German immigrants began to settle in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, the WANAMAKER name was brought to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances in America was Johann Michael Wanamaker, who arrived in Philadelphia from the Palatinate region of Germany in 1737.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the WANAMAKER surname was John Wanamaker (1838-1922), an American entrepreneur and pioneer of modern retail marketing. He founded the Wanamaker's department store chain, which became one of the first and largest retail establishments in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the WANAMAKER surname include:
1. Lewis Rodman Wanamaker (1863-1928), son of John Wanamaker and a prominent Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist.
2. William Horace Wanamaker (1869-1918), another son of John Wanamaker and a businessman who helped expand the family's retail empire.
3. Samuel Wanamaker (1919-1993), an American actor and director, best known for his efforts to rebuild the Globe Theatre in London.
4. John Wanamaker (1952-), an American former professional tennis player and coach.
While the WANAMAKER name has its roots in southern Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, carried by successive generations of immigrants and travelers. Today, it remains a recognizable surname, indelibly linked to its rich heritage and the remarkable individuals who have borne it throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wanamaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wanamaker 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 Wanamaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 1,982
- Black or African American8.7% · 202
- Two or more races3.7% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wanamaker
Wanamaker 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
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
-36 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,003 places
2020
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,333
-187 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,336 | 2,556 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,339 | 2,520 | 0.85 | -36 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 1,003 places |
| 2020 | #12,638 | 2,333 | 0.78 | -187 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 299 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 Wanamaker 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 | #12,339 | #12,638 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,520 | 2,333 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.78 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wanamaker bearers went from 2,520 to 2,333 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 299 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,339 to #12,638.
FAQ
Wanamaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wanamaker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,675 living Americans carry the surname Wanamaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,132 residents.
How common is Wanamaker?
Wanamaker ranks #12,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,333 people with the surname Wanamaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Wanamaker.
Has Wanamaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wanamaker went from 2,520 recorded bearers to 2,333. That is a decrease of 187 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,339 to #12,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Wanamaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Wanamaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (1,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wanamaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (8.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Wanamaker (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 Wanamaker mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a wagon or cart maker or repairer. 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 Wanamaker (0.78 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 are called Wanamaker?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Wanamaker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.