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

Wardle, 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 Wardle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wardle in America

Wardle is the 11846th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wardle surname appeared 2,642 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 Wardle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wardle 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 Wardle

The surname Wardle originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "woer" meaning "marsh" and "doel" meaning "valley" or "share". This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a marshy valley area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wardle surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Wardel" in records from Cheshire.

Over time, the spelling evolved to include variations such as Wardale, Wardell, and Wardill before settling on the more modern form of Wardle. Many of these early spellings were found in records from Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, indicating that the name was concentrated in northern England during its early history.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was William de Wardle, who was listed as a landowner in Lancashire. Another early record comes from the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which included a John Wardale.

During the 16th century, the Wardle surname appeared in several parish records from Lancashire and Cheshire. One notable individual was Thomas Wardle, who was born in 1590 in Runcorn, Cheshire.

In the 18th century, John Wardle (1742-1809) was a prominent English industrialist and textile manufacturer from Manchester. He played a key role in the development of the cotton industry in the region.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Wardle (1831-1909), a British entomologist and silk expert. He was born in Leek, Staffordshire and made important contributions to the silk industry through his research and travels.

Throughout its history, the Wardle surname has maintained a strong presence in northern England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, where its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wardle

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

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

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

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