2000
#15,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Wareham
A locational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "homestead by a fishing weir."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,033 Americans carry the last name Wareham. That puts it at #15,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wareham 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 Wareham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,595
Census rank
#15,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,773 bearers of the surname Wareham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wareham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wareham
The surname WAREHAM originated in England, specifically in the county of Dorset. It is a locational name derived from the town of Wareham, which dates back to the Saxon period. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "waeringa" meaning "dwellers" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "settlement."
One of the earliest references to the name WAREHAM can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a William de Wareham who was a prominent landowner in Dorset. During this time, the spelling of the name varied, with versions such as Warham,Wareham, and Warreham appearing in various documents.
The town of Wareham itself has a rich history, having been an important Saxon settlement and later a Norman fortified town. It was also a significant port in the Middle Ages, which may have contributed to the spread of the name as people migrated to other parts of England.
One notable bearer of the WAREHAM surname was Robert Wareham, who was the Bishop of Norwich from 1493 to 1499. He was a significant figure in the ecclesiastical and political spheres of his time.
Another individual of note was William Wareham, born in 1516, who was a prominent merchant and citizen of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a John Wareham, born in 1635, was a renowned Puritan minister and author, known for his religious writings and sermons.
The WAREHAM name has also been associated with several places in England, such as Wareham Forest in Dorset and Wareham St. Mary, a village in Suffolk.
Over the centuries, the WAREHAM surname has been carried by various individuals across different walks of life, including clergymen, merchants, landowners, and more. While its origins can be traced back to a specific town in Dorset, the name has since spread throughout England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wareham
Among Census respondents with the surname Wareham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wareham 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 Wareham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,598
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 57
- Two or more races3.0% · 54
- Black or African American2.5% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wareham
Wareham 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
#14,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,973
+176 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 82 places
2020
#15,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,773
-200 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,061 | 1,797 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,979 | 1,973 | 0.67 | +176 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 82 places |
| 2020 | #15,818 | 1,773 | 0.59 | -200 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 839 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 Wareham 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 | #14,979 | #15,818 | -5.6% |
| Count | 1,973 | 1,773 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.59 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wareham bearers went from 1,973 to 1,773 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 839 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,979 to #15,818.
FAQ
Wareham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wareham?
Name Census estimates that about 2,033 living Americans carry the surname Wareham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,595 residents.
How common is Wareham?
Wareham ranks #15,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,773 people with the surname Wareham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Wareham.
Has Wareham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wareham went from 1,973 recorded bearers to 1,773. That is a decrease of 200 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,979 to #15,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Wareham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wareham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wareham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wareham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wareham (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 Wareham mean?
A locational surname derived from any of several places in England meaning "homestead by a fishing weir." 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 Wareham (0.59 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 common is the surname Wareham?
Want to know how common the surname Wareham is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.