2000
#667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.30
Uncommon Last name
Ware
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold pottery or other goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 54,898 Americans carry the last name Ware. That puts it at #695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ware 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 Ware with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
55K
1 in 6,243
Census rank
#695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,874 bearers of the surname Ware in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ware, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ware
The surname "WARE" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "wær" or "wær-mann," meaning a person who lived by a weir or dam for catching fish. The name is believed to have originated in the 11th century, particularly in areas with a concentration of weirs or dams, such as riverside settlements.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname "WARE" dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wara" and "Ware." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the name "WARE" was documented in various forms, including "Wara," "Warre," and "de la Ware." The "de la" prefix was commonly used to indicate a person's place of origin or residence, suggesting that some individuals bearing this surname may have lived near a weir or dam.
One notable individual with the surname "WARE" was Sir James Ware (1594-1666), an Irish historian and antiquarian. He was born in Dublin and is best known for his works on Irish history, including "De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus Disquisitiones" (1654) and "The Whole Works of Sir James Ware Concerning Ireland" (1705).
Another prominent figure was Henry Ware Jr. (1794-1843), an American Unitarian minister and author. He served as a professor of pulpit eloquence and pastoral care at Harvard Divinity School and wrote several influential works, including "On the Formation of Christian Character" (1831).
In England, the name "WARE" was associated with several notable families, such as the Wares of Ware Park in Hertfordshire. This family can trace its ancestry back to the 13th century, with records indicating that they held lands in the area since at least 1275.
The surname "WARE" was also found in various place names, such as Ware in Hertfordshire, which was likely named after the River Lea's weir or dam. Similarly, the town of Wareham in Dorset may have derived its name from the Old English "wær-ham," meaning a homestead by a weir.
Throughout history, the surname "WARE" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, clergy, military leaders, and landowners. Despite its humble origins, the name has persisted and is still present in many parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ware
Among Census respondents with the surname Ware, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ware 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 Ware surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.2% · 22,133
- Black or African American43.7% · 20,929
- Two or more races5.6% · 2,658
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,516
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 358
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 280
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ware
Ware 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
#700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,316
+2,634 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 16.72
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,874
-1,442 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 16.02
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #667 | 46,682 | 17.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #700 | 49,316 | 16.72 | +2,634 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #695 | 47,874 | 16.02 | -1,442 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 5 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 Ware 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 | #700 | #695 | 0.7% |
| Count | 49,316 | 47,874 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.72 | 16.02 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ware bearers went from 49,316 to 47,874 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #700 to #695.
FAQ
Ware surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ware?
Name Census estimates that about 54,898 living Americans carry the surname Ware. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,243 residents.
How common is Ware?
Ware ranks #695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,874 people with the surname Ware. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (54,898), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Ware.
Has Ware become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ware went from 49,316 recorded bearers to 47,874. That is a decrease of 1,442 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #700 to #695.
What does the Census say about the background of Ware?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ware, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Ware in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.2% (22,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ware appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.2%), Black (43.7%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Ware (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 Ware mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold pottery or other goods. 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 Ware (16.02 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 have the last name Ware?
See how many people are called Ware on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.