2000
#13,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Wann
Derived from a Middle English given name meaning "fair" or "pale," likely referring to someone with a pale complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,204 Americans carry the last name Wann. That puts it at #14,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,515
Census rank
#14,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,922 bearers of the surname Wann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wann, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wann
Among Census respondents with the surname Wann, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wann 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 Wann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 1,540
- Black or African American4.9% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 93
- Two or more races4.1% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wann
Wann 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
#14,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,068
+55 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#14,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
-146 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 365 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,791 | 2,013 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,447 | 2,068 | 0.70 | +55 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #14,812 | 1,922 | 0.64 | -146 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 365 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 Wann 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 | #14,447 | #14,812 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,068 | 1,922 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.64 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wann bearers went from 2,068 to 1,922 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 365 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,447 to #14,812.
FAQ
Wann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wann?
Name Census estimates that about 2,204 living Americans carry the surname Wann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,515 residents.
How common is Wann?
Wann ranks #14,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,922 people with the surname Wann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Wann.
Has Wann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wann went from 2,068 recorded bearers to 1,922. That is a decrease of 146 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,447 to #14,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Wann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wann, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Wann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (1,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Wann (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 Wann mean?
Derived from a Middle English given name meaning "fair" or "pale," likely referring to someone with a pale complexion. 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 Wann (0.64 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 Americans have the surname Wann?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.