2000
#14,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Warfel
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Warfel or Wärfeln.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,999 Americans carry the last name Warfel. That puts it at #16,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warfel 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.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 171,463
Census rank
#16,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,743 bearers of the surname Warfel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warfel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warfel
The surname Warfel has its roots in the German language and originated in the southwestern region of Germany, specifically in the Palatinate region. Derived from the Middle High German word "war," meaning "true" or "honest," and the suffix "-fel," which denotes a diminutive or a small form, the name Warfel likely signified someone of small stature who was considered truthful or trustworthy.
The earliest recorded instances of the Warfel surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various church records and legal documents from the Palatinate region. One notable reference is found in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Edenkoben, a town in the modern-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where a certain Hans Warfel was mentioned in an entry dated 1582.
As the Warfel family spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Warffel, Wörfel, and Wörffel. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and scribal interpretations.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Warfel surname throughout history is Johann Georg Warfel (1658-1723), a German Lutheran minister and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another prominent figure was Johann Nikolaus Warfel (1742-1801), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg.
In the 18th century, the Warfel name found its way to the United States, with immigrants from Germany settling in various regions, particularly in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johannes Warfel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1748.
Other notable individuals with the Warfel surname include Friedrich Warfel (1800-1862), a German-born American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and Henry Randall Warfel (1882-1953), an American author, educator, and literary critic who taught at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Florida.
The Warfel surname, though not among the most common, has left its mark on history, reflecting the migrations and cultural influences of the German-speaking regions from which it originated. Its meaning and variations have been preserved through the centuries, serving as a testament to the enduring legacy of family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warfel
Among Census respondents with the surname Warfel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Warfel 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 Warfel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,639
- Two or more races2.7% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warfel
Warfel 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
#15,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,967
+126 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 223 places
2020
#16,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,743
-224 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 1,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,792 | 1,841 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,015 | 1,967 | 0.67 | +126 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 223 places |
| 2020 | #16,062 | 1,743 | 0.58 | -224 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 1,047 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 Warfel 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 | #15,015 | #16,062 | -7.0% |
| Count | 1,967 | 1,743 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.58 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warfel bearers went from 1,967 to 1,743 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 1,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,015 to #16,062.
FAQ
Warfel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warfel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,999 living Americans carry the surname Warfel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,463 residents.
How common is Warfel?
Warfel ranks #16,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,743 people with the surname Warfel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Warfel.
Has Warfel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warfel went from 1,967 recorded bearers to 1,743. That is a decrease of 224 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,015 to #16,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Warfel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warfel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Warfel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,639 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warfel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Warfel (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 Warfel mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Warfel or Wärfeln. 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 Warfel (0.58 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 Warfel?
You can see how many people are called Warfel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.