2000
#6,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Warnock
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a river with a weir or dam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,619 Americans carry the last name Warnock. That puts it at #6,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warnock 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 Warnock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,999
Census rank
#6,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,900 bearers of the surname Warnock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warnock
The surname Warnock has its origins in England and Scotland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "warnian," meaning "to warn" or "take heed," and the Middle English suffix "-ock," a diminutive form.
The name Warnock was initially found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, as well as in the Scottish Lowlands. It is believed that the name may have been given to someone employed as a watchman or sentinel, whose role was to warn others of potential danger or threats.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Warnock surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, which mention a person named Robert Warnoc. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Warnock in Yorkshire.
In Scotland, the name is thought to have originated in the town of Warnocktown, now known as Monkton, in Ayrshire. The earliest known Scottish bearer of the name was John Warnok, who was mentioned in the records of the Burgh of Prestwick in 1490.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Warnock:
1. Ralph Warnock (1591-1677), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
2. James Warnock (1774-1848), a Scottish-born American pioneer and soldier who fought in the War of 1812.
3. Benjamin Warnock (1805-1871), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
4. Neil Warnock (born 1948), an English former professional football player and manager who has managed several Premier League teams.
5. John Warnock (born 1940), an American computer scientist and co-founder of Adobe Systems, best known for developing the widely used PostScript software and PDF file format.
The name Warnock has also been associated with various place names in England and Scotland, such as Warnock Hill in Derbyshire and Warnock Burn in Lanarkshire, further indicating its historical significance in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warnock
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Warnock 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 Warnock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,428
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 207
- Two or more races3.1% · 150
- Black or African American1.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warnock
Warnock 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
#6,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,159
+94 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 350 places
2020
#6,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,900
-259 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,217 | 5,065 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,567 | 5,159 | 1.75 | +94 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 350 places |
| 2020 | #6,628 | 4,900 | 1.64 | -259 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 61 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 Warnock 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 | #6,567 | #6,628 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,159 | 4,900 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.64 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warnock bearers went from 5,159 to 4,900 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,567 to #6,628.
FAQ
Warnock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warnock?
Name Census estimates that about 5,619 living Americans carry the surname Warnock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,999 residents.
How common is Warnock?
Warnock ranks #6,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,900 people with the surname Warnock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,619), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Warnock.
Has Warnock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warnock went from 5,159 recorded bearers to 4,900. That is a decrease of 259 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,567 to #6,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Warnock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Warnock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warnock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Warnock (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 Warnock mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a river with a weir or dam. 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 Warnock (1.64 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 Warnock?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Warnock is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.