2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wanbaugh
A Scottish habitational surname derived from lands near Roxburgh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Wanbaugh. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wanbaugh 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Wanbaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wanbaugh
The surname Wanbaugh is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place name that has since fallen out of use or been obscured over time.
One theory suggests that the name may have evolved from the Old English words "wan" meaning "pale" or "sickly," and "beorg" meaning "hill" or "mound." This could indicate that the original bearer of the name hailed from a location near a pale or sickly-looking hill or mound.
Another possibility is that the name is a corruption of the Old English words "wang" meaning "field" or "plain," and "beorg," again referring to a hill or mound. In this case, the name may have been associated with someone living near a field or plain with a distinctive hill or mound.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in early manuscripts or chronicles like the Domesday Book, some of the earliest documented instances of the surname Wanbaugh can be found in parish records and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Wanbaugh (1592-1668), a wealthy landowner and member of the English gentry from Nottinghamshire. He served as a Member of Parliament during the tumultuous years of the English Civil War.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Wanbaugh (1634-1712), a Quaker preacher and author from Gloucestershire, known for her religious writings and advocacy for the rights of women.
In the 18th century, John Wanbaugh (1723-1795) was a successful merchant and trader based in London, whose business dealings spanned the British Empire.
Moving into the 19th century, William Wanbaugh (1818-1892) was a prominent architect and civil engineer from Yorkshire, responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in the region.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Mary Wanbaugh (1901-1982) was a pioneering educator and advocate for educational reform in the United States, particularly in the field of early childhood education.
While the name Wanbaugh may have undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to medieval England, where it likely originated as a locational name reflecting the geographic features or landmarks associated with the ancestral homelands of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wanbaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wanbaugh 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 Wanbaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wanbaugh
Wanbaugh 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,334 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-21 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,433 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,334 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 19,433 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 Wanbaugh 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 | #132,206 | #151,639 | -14.7% |
| Count | 128 | 107 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wanbaugh bearers went from 128 to 107 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 19,433 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #151,639.
FAQ
Wanbaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wanbaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Wanbaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Wanbaugh?
Wanbaugh ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Wanbaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wanbaugh.
Has Wanbaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wanbaugh went from 128 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Wanbaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) 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 Wanbaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wanbaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (4.7%), 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 Wanbaugh (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 Wanbaugh mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from lands near Roxburgh. 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 Wanbaugh (0.04 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 Wanbaugh?
You can see how many people have the last name Wanbaugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.