2000
#11,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Wardle
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "watch or lookout hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,931 Americans carry the last name Wardle. That puts it at #11,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wardle 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 Wardle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,941
Census rank
#11,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,556 bearers of the surname Wardle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wardle
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wardle 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 Wardle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,375
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 89
- Two or more races2.1% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wardle
Wardle 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
#11,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,642
+133 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#11,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
-86 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,507 | 2,509 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,846 | 2,642 | 0.90 | +133 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #11,730 | 2,556 | 0.86 | -86 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 116 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 Wardle 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 | #11,846 | #11,730 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,642 | 2,556 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.86 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wardle bearers went from 2,642 to 2,556 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,846 to #11,730.
FAQ
Wardle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wardle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,931 living Americans carry the surname Wardle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,941 residents.
How common is Wardle?
Wardle ranks #11,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,556 people with the surname Wardle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Wardle.
Has Wardle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wardle went from 2,642 recorded bearers to 2,556. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,846 to #11,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Wardle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wardle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,375 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wardle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wardle (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 Wardle mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "watch or lookout hill." 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 Wardle (0.86 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 Wardle?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Wardle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.