2000
#32,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Wantland
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "unproductive or infertile land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 798 Americans carry the last name Wantland. That puts it at #34,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 429,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wantland 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
798
1 in 429,517
Census rank
#34,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
696
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 696 bearers of the surname Wantland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wantland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wantland
The surname Wantland is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "want" meaning a crooked or bent path, and "land" referring to a tract of land or estate. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or place name.
The earliest recorded mention of the Wantland name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1273, where a Walter de Wantland is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already established in parts of Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas during that time period.
In the 14th century, the Wantland name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John de Wantland is listed as a tenant in the year 1348. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of northern England by that time.
The Wantland surname may also be related to the place name Wantage, a town in Berkshire, England. The name Wantage is derived from the Old English words "want" meaning a crooked path, and "oc" meaning an oak tree, suggesting a possible connection to the Wantland name.
One notable bearer of the Wantland name was Sir John Wantland, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. He was born in Gloucestershire in 1385 and died in 1462.
Another historical figure with the Wantland surname was William Wantland, a merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, who lived from 1620 to 1690. He played a significant role in the city's maritime trade during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Wantland name can be found in the records of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in Pennsylvania, USA. This suggests that some Wantland families may have emigrated from England to the American colonies during that time period.
Other notable individuals with the Wantland surname include:
1. Thomas Wantland (1792-1872), a British architect known for his work on churches and public buildings in London.
2. Elizabeth Wantland (1818-1905), an English writer and advocate for women's education.
3. James Wantland (1865-1942), an American politician who served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
4. Henry Wantland (1901-1988), a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract works.
5. Margaret Wantland (1923-2012), an American historian and author who wrote extensively on the colonial period in North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wantland
Among Census respondents with the surname Wantland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wantland 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 Wantland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 570
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 54
- Two or more races7.3% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wantland
Wantland 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
#32,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
+24 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 617 places
2020
#34,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 696
-7 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,059 | 679 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,676 | 703 | 0.24 | +24 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 617 places |
| 2020 | #34,947 | 696 | 0.23 | -7 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 2,271 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 Wantland 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 | #32,676 | #34,947 | -7.0% |
| Count | 703 | 696 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wantland bearers went from 703 to 696 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 2,271 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,676 to #34,947.
FAQ
Wantland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wantland?
Name Census estimates that about 798 living Americans carry the surname Wantland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 429,517 residents.
How common is Wantland?
Wantland ranks #34,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 696 people with the surname Wantland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Wantland.
Has Wantland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wantland went from 703 recorded bearers to 696. That is a decrease of 7 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,676 to #34,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Wantland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wantland, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Wantland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wantland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Wantland (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 Wantland mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "unproductive or infertile land". 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 Wantland (0.23 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 Wantland?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Wantland at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.