2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wardrope
A transferred use of a place name referring to someone living near a trackway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Wardrope. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wardrope 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 Wardrope with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Wardrope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wardrope
The surname Wardrope is of Scottish origin, traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "waru" meaning "cautious" and "hrop" meaning "outcry" or "call." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a watchman or a town crier.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Wardrop" and "Warderop," indicating its early presence in Scotland. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The name Wardrope is also associated with the historic town of Maybole in Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 16th century, a family by the name of Wardrope resided in the area and held significant influence. John Wardrope (1540-1614), a notable member of this family, served as the Provost of Maybole and played a pivotal role in the local affairs of the town.
Another prominent figure with the surname Wardrope was Sir Ralph Wardrope (1615-1683), a Scottish merchant and military officer. He served as a colonel in the Covenanter army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and later became a wealthy merchant in Edinburgh.
In the 18th century, the name Wardrope gained further recognition with the birth of David Wardrope (1748-1825), a renowned Scottish architect. He designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the iconic Calton Hill Observatory.
William Wardrope (1809-1892) was a Scottish surgeon and pioneer in the field of ophthalmology. He authored several influential works on eye diseases and served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
While the surname Wardrope has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and diaspora. The name continues to be prevalent in countries with significant Scottish heritage, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wardrope
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wardrope 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 Wardrope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 99
- Black or African American7.7% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wardrope
Wardrope 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Wardrope 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wardrope bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Wardrope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wardrope?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Wardrope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Wardrope?
Wardrope ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Wardrope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wardrope.
Has Wardrope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wardrope went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Wardrope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wardrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Wardrope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wardrope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (7.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Wardrope (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 Wardrope mean?
A transferred use of a place name referring to someone living near a trackway. 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 Wardrope (0.04 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 Wardrope?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.