2000
#11,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Warburton
A locational surname derived from any of the various places in England meaning "fortified town by a stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,086 Americans carry the last name Warburton. That puts it at #11,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warburton 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 Warburton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,068
Census rank
#11,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,691 bearers of the surname Warburton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warburton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warburton
The surname Warburton originated in England and is derived from the Old English words "waer" meaning a weir or dam, and "burh" meaning a fortified place or town. It is a locational surname referring to someone who lived near a dam or weir in a fortified town. The name is believed to have originated in the areas of Cheshire and Lancashire, where there are several places called Warburton.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Warburgetonea". This record shows that a family with this surname held lands in Cheshire at the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, a William de Warburton is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1286. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in its more modern spelling.
The Warburton family was prominent in Cheshire and Lancashire for several centuries. Sir Peter Warburton (1540-1610) was a notable Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Cheshire. His son, Sir John Warburton (1585-1627), was also an MP and served as a judge.
Another notable figure was John Warburton (1682-1759), an English antiquary and author who wrote extensively on the history and genealogy of Cheshire families, including his own.
In the 19th century, Eliot Warburton (1810-1852) was a renowned English author and traveler who wrote several popular books about his adventures.
Overall, the surname Warburton has a long and well-documented history in England, particularly in the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire, dating back to at least the 11th century. It is a locational name that reflects the geographic origins of the families who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warburton
Among Census respondents with the surname Warburton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Warburton 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 Warburton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,335
- Black or African American5.8% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- Two or more races3.0% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warburton
Warburton 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
#11,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,781
+171 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#11,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
-90 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,150 | 2,610 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,343 | 2,781 | 0.94 | +171 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #11,231 | 2,691 | 0.90 | -90 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 112 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 Warburton 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 | #11,343 | #11,231 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,781 | 2,691 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.90 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warburton bearers went from 2,781 to 2,691 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,343 to #11,231.
FAQ
Warburton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warburton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,086 living Americans carry the surname Warburton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,068 residents.
How common is Warburton?
Warburton ranks #11,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,691 people with the surname Warburton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Warburton.
Has Warburton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warburton went from 2,781 recorded bearers to 2,691. That is a decrease of 90 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,343 to #11,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Warburton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warburton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Warburton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warburton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Warburton (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 Warburton mean?
A locational surname derived from any of the various places in England meaning "fortified town by a stream." 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 Warburton (0.90 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 surname Warburton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.