2000
#9,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Wardlow
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed settlement by a shore."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,439 Americans carry the last name Wardlow. That puts it at #10,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wardlow 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 Wardlow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,667
Census rank
#10,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,999 bearers of the surname Wardlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 13th century, the Wardlow surname appeared in several historical documents, including the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1273, which recorded a Richard de Wardelowe.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wardlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wardlow 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 Wardlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.0% · 1,920
- Black or African American25.2% · 756
- Two or more races5.4% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wardlow
Wardlow 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
#10,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,985
-54 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 886 places
2020
#10,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,999
+14 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,820 | 3,039 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,706 | 2,985 | 1.01 | -54 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 886 places |
| 2020 | #10,225 | 2,999 | 1.00 | +14 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 481 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 Wardlow 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 | #10,706 | #10,225 | 4.5% |
| Count | 2,985 | 2,999 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 1.00 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wardlow bearers went from 2,985 to 2,999 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 481 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,706 to #10,225.
FAQ
Wardlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wardlow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,439 living Americans carry the surname Wardlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,667 residents.
How common is Wardlow?
Wardlow ranks #10,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,999 people with the surname Wardlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Wardlow.
Has Wardlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wardlow went from 2,985 recorded bearers to 2,999. That is an increase of 14 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,706 to #10,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Wardlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Wardlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (1,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wardlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.0%), Black (25.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Wardlow (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 Wardlow mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed settlement by a shore." 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 Wardlow (1.00 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 Americans have the surname Wardlow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.