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

Wankum, 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 Wankum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wankum in America

Wankum is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wankum surname appeared 202 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 Wankum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wankum to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wankum

The surname WANKUM has its origins in the ancient Germanic tribes that inhabited the regions of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands during the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Germanic words "wanc" and "hum", which collectively meant "crooked horn" or "twisted horn". This could suggest that the name was initially used to describe someone who had a distinctive physical feature or perhaps worked as a craftsman in the production of horns or other related instruments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WANKUM name can be traced back to the Codex Theodosianus, a compilation of Roman imperial laws from the 5th century AD. In this document, a certain "Wanchumus" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of present-day Bavaria. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence by that time.

In the centuries that followed, the WANKUM name appeared sporadically in various historical records across central and western Europe. One notable example is found in the Fulda Monastery Codex, a 9th-century manuscript from the Fulda Monastery in present-day Hesse, Germany. This document lists a "Wanchumus" as a scribe and scholar who contributed to the preservation of ancient texts.

During the High Middle Ages, the WANKUM name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing this surname, including Heinrich WANKUM (1210-1278), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Münster, and Gertrude WANKUM (1275-1341), a noblewoman known for her philanthropic work in the town of Soest.

As the WANKUM name spread across Europe, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as WANCHAM, WANKHAM, and WANKHEIM. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time. One notable individual from this period was Hans WANKHAM (1432-1503), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Augsburg, who is credited with developing one of the earliest mechanical clocks with a striking mechanism.

In the 16th century, the WANKUM name gained further prominence with the rise of Johannes WANKUM (1498-1573), a renowned humanist scholar and philosopher from Cologne. His works on ethics, logic, and metaphysics were widely studied and influential throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.

Throughout the centuries, the WANKUM surname has been carried by numerous individuals across various professions and walks of life, including artists, musicians, scientists, and political figures. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its rich historical legacy continues to be a testament to the diverse and fascinating origins of surnames from the Germanic regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wankum

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

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 Wankum 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wankum has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!