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

Wann, 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 Wann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wann in America

Wann is the 14447th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wann surname appeared 2,068 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wann 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 Wann

The surname Wann is believed to have originated from the Anglo-Saxon word "wann," which means "pale" or "wan" in Old English. This name likely referred to someone with a pale complexion or a sickly appearance.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Wann can be traced back to the 13th century in various English records. One of the earliest documented instances is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a person named William le Wanne is mentioned.

During the medieval period, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as Wanne, Wan, and Wane, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.

In the 15th century, the surname Wann appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from a wealthy Norfolk family. One letter dated 1472 mentions a person named John Wanne, who was involved in a legal dispute over land.

Wann is also found in historical records from Scotland, suggesting that the name may have migrated northward from England at some point. In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Patrick Wann (c. 1500 - 1580), a Scottish courtier and diplomat who served under King James V and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Another significant figure with the surname Wann was Robert Wann (1634 - 1719), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, a prominent Wann family resided in County Antrim, Ireland. One member, John Wann (1744 - 1826), was a successful merchant and landowner who played a role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Moving into the 19th century, William Wann (1807 - 1884) was a Scottish-born engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engines and locomotives.

Other notable individuals with the surname Wann include John Wann (1877 - 1939), an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales, and William A. Wann (1894 - 1968), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, from 1949 to 1963.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wann

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

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

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

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