2000
#45,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Rare Last name
Warsame
A Somali surname meaning "traveller" or "wayfarer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,110 Americans carry the last name Warsame. That puts it at #15,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warsame 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 Warsame with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,443
Census rank
#15,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,840 bearers of the surname Warsame in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsame, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warsame
The surname Warsame originates from Somalia, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when Somali clans and lineages began solidifying their genealogical roots.
The name Warsame is derived from the Somali language and is composed of two words: "war" meaning "son" or "descendant," and "same," which is a personal name or nickname. Collectively, Warsame translates to "son of Same" or "descendant of Same."
One of the earliest known references to the Warsame surname can be found in the chronicles of the Sultanate of Adal, a medieval Muslim empire that dominated parts of modern-day Somalia, Djibouti, and Ethiopia from the 9th to the 16th century. During this era, the Warsame lineage was associated with the influential Isaaq clan, a Somali clan that played a pivotal role in the region's political and military affairs.
In the 16th century, a renowned Somali poet and warrior named Warsame Garad Nuur gained widespread recognition for his poetic works and military exploits against the Abyssinian Empire. He is considered one of the earliest and most prominent historical figures to bear the Warsame surname.
Another notable individual with the Warsame surname was Haji Warsame Ali Shire, a 19th-century Somali leader and military commander who played a crucial role in the resistance against European colonialism in the Horn of Africa. He was born in the town of Taleh, in present-day Somaliland, and led several successful military campaigns against the Italian colonial forces.
In the 20th century, Abdirahman Warsame Ismail, also known as "Warsame Ismail," was a prominent Somali politician and diplomat. He served as the first Foreign Minister of the Somali Republic after the country gained independence in 1960 and later became the Somali Ambassador to the United Nations.
Mohamud Warsame Ali, born in 1952, is a contemporary Somali academic and author who has written extensively on Somali history, culture, and literature. He is known for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of Somali heritage and has received numerous awards and accolades for his work.
Throughout history, the Warsame surname has maintained its roots in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Warsame, Warsami, and Warsameh. While the name has spread across different regions and communities, it remains deeply rooted in the rich cultural and historical tapestry of the Somali people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warsame
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsame, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Warsame 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 Warsame surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.2% · 1,788
- White1.0% · 18
- Two or more races0.7% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warsame
Warsame 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
#20,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
+848 bearers (+190.6%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 24,796 places
2020
#15,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,840
+547 bearers (+42.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 5,157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,308 | 445 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,512 | 1,293 | 0.44 | +848 bearers (+190.6%) | Up 24,796 places |
| 2020 | #15,355 | 1,840 | 0.62 | +547 bearers (+42.3%) | Up 5,157 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 Warsame 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 | #20,512 | #15,355 | 25.1% |
| Count | 1,293 | 1,840 | 42.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.62 | 39.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warsame bearers went from 1,293 to 1,840 (+42.3% change). The surname moved up 5,157 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,512 to #15,355.
FAQ
Warsame surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warsame?
Name Census estimates that about 2,110 living Americans carry the surname Warsame. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,443 residents.
How common is Warsame?
Warsame ranks #15,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,840 people with the surname Warsame. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Warsame.
Has Warsame become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warsame went from 1,293 recorded bearers to 1,840. That is an increase of 547 (+42.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,512 to #15,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Warsame?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsame, the largest self-reported group is Black at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Warsame in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (1,788 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warsame appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (97.2%), White (1.0%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Warsame (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 Warsame mean?
A Somali surname meaning "traveller" or "wayfarer". 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 Warsame (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Warsame?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.