2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Warsh
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation related to marshes or wet areas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Warsh. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warsh 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 Warsh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Warsh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warsh
The surname "WARSH" is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, with roots tracing back to the 10th or 11th century. It likely derived from the old Slavic word "vorsha" or "varsha," meaning "top" or "peak," suggesting a connection to a person living near a hilltop or elevated terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the town of Krakow, Poland, where a landowner named Wojciech Warsh was mentioned as a recipient of a land grant from the local nobility. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
Another notable early reference comes from a 16th-century tax record in the town of Lviv, Ukraine, which listed a family of traders and merchants bearing the surname Warsh. This indicates that the name had spread across the Slavic lands and was associated with various professions.
In the 17th century, a Polish nobleman named Jan Warsh (1620-1685) gained prominence as a military commander during the Polish-Swedish War. His exploits were documented in contemporary chronicles, further solidifying the name's place in historical records.
During the 19th century, the name Warsh appeared in various records from the Russian Empire, particularly in the regions of modern-day Belarus and western Russia. One notable individual was Mikhail Warsh (1845-1902), a prominent writer and journalist who advocated for social reforms and was briefly imprisoned for his outspoken views.
Another individual of note was Kateryna Warsh (1875-1957), a Ukrainian educator and activist who played a significant role in promoting women's education and rights in the early 20th century. Her efforts were recognized by various organizations and governments of the time.
It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as "Warsch," "Varsh," or "Vorsh," were common due to regional dialects and transcription differences across different Slavic languages and cultures.
While the surname "WARSH" has undergone various transformations and spread across different regions over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Slavic lands of Eastern Europe, where it was likely associated with geographic features or occupations related to elevated terrain or hilltops.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warsh
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Warsh 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 Warsh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warsh
Warsh 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,961 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 12,961 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,432 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 Warsh 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 | #145,220 | #142,788 | 1.7% |
| Count | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warsh bearers went from 114 to 119 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,788.
FAQ
Warsh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warsh?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Warsh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Warsh?
Warsh ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Warsh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Warsh.
Has Warsh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warsh went from 114 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Warsh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Warsh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warsh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Warsh (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 Warsh mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation related to marshes or wet areas. 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 Warsh (0.04 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 Warsh?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Warsh is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.