Wardlow last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wardlow

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed settlement by a shore."

Wardlow, 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 Wardlow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wardlow in America

Wardlow is the 10706th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wardlow surname appeared 2,985 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 Wardlow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wardlow 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10706 9820 8.63%
Count 2,985 3,039 -1.79%
Proportion per 100k 1.01 1.13 -11.21%

The history of the last name Wardlow

The surname Wardlow originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "weard" meaning "watch" or "guard" and "hlaw" meaning "hill" or "mound," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a hill used as a lookout point.

One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, which mention a person named Roger de Wardelowe. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

The name Wardlow is also closely associated with several place names in England, such as Wardlow in Derbyshire and Wardlow in Cheshire. These place names likely contributed to the formation and spread of the surname, as people often adopted surnames based on the locations they were from.

In the 13th century, the Wardlow surname appeared in several historical documents, including the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1273, which recorded a Richard de Wardelowe.

Notable individuals with the surname Wardlow include:

  1. William Wardlow (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.

  2. John Wardlow (c. 1695-1769), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

  3. Elizabeth Wardlow (c. 1790-1872), a British artist known for her landscape paintings and watercolors.

  4. Henry Wardlow (1818-1892), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Wardlow Orphanage in Manchester.

  5. Thomas Wardlow (1871-1942), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

While the Wardlow surname may not be as common as some others, its history can be traced back centuries, with roots in various regions of England and connections to both place names and occupations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wardlow

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

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 Wardlow was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 67.77% 2,023
Non-Hispanic Black Only 25.83% 771
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.50% 15
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.87% 26
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.58% 77
Hispanic Origin 2.45% 73

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 Wardlow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 67.77% 70.42% -3.84%
Black 25.83% 25.67% 0.62%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.50% 0.43% 15.05%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.87% 0.79% 9.64%
Two or More Races 2.58% 1.32% 64.62%
Hispanic 2.45% 1.38% 55.87%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Wardlow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wardlow-surname-popularity/.

"Wardlow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wardlow-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Wardlow last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wardlow-surname-popularity/.

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