Find out how popular the last name Warren is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Warren.

Warren, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Warren surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Warren in America

Warren is the 181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Warren surname appeared 152,147 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 52 people would have the surname Warren.

We can also compare 2010 data for Warren to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Warren

The surname Warren is of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French word "warrene" meaning "animal enclosure" or "hunting preserve". It is believed to have originated in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman nobles and their followers settled in the country and were granted lands by William the Conqueror.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with a mention of a William de Warenne in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is also found in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Curia Regis Rolls.

One of the most notable bearers of the surname was William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (c. 1166-1240), a powerful Norman nobleman who played a significant role in the Barons' War against King John. Another prominent figure was John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (c. 1286-1347), who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence and the Hundred Years' War.

In addition to its association with noble families, the surname Warren was also derived from various place names in England, such as Warren in Somerset, Warrington in Lancashire, and Warrener in Northamptonshire. These place names often referred to areas where game was kept for hunting.

Other notable individuals with the surname Warren include Joseph Warren (1741-1775), an American Revolutionary leader who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814), an American writer and playwright who was a prominent figure in the American Revolution. In the 19th century, Samuel P. Warren (1809-1867) was an American jurist and author who wrote several influential legal treatises.

The Warren surname has also been borne by several notable artists and writers, including Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989), an American poet and novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and Mercy Warren (1805-1828), an American novelist and playwright who was a pioneer of early American literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Warren

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Warren.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Warren was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Warren has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Warren was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Warren, please contact us.

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