2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wartgow
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany, possibly meaning a fortified area or watchtower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Wartgow. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wartgow 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Wartgow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wartgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wartgow
The surname "WARTGOW" originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "wart," which means "guard" or "watchman," and the suffix "-gow," which refers to a specific region or area.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany. In 1587, a man named Hans Wartgow was listed as a resident of the town, and it is speculated that he may have been a guard or watchman for the town's fortifications.
The name "WARTGOW" was also associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the late 17th century, a man named Johann Wartgow served as a military officer in the army of the Electorate of Brandenburg. He was born in 1652 and died in 1714.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Wilhelm Wartgow, a German composer and musician who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1715 and is known for his contributions to the development of classical music during that era.
In the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Wartgow gained recognition as a prominent scholar and academic. He was born in 1822 and served as a professor of philosophy at the University of Berlin, where he made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics.
The name "WARTGOW" can also be traced back to several place names in Germany, such as the village of Wartgouw in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. This village may have been the original place of origin for some branches of the Wartgow family.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling were common in historical records, and the name may have been written as "Wartgau," "Wartgouw," or "Wartgau" in different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wartgow
Among Census respondents with the surname Wartgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wartgow 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 Wartgow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wartgow
Wartgow 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,415 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 16,415 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 6,182 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 Wartgow 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 | #150,452 | #144,270 | 4.1% |
| Count | 109 | 117 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wartgow bearers went from 109 to 117 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 6,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #144,270.
FAQ
Wartgow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wartgow?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Wartgow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Wartgow?
Wartgow ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Wartgow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Wartgow.
Has Wartgow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wartgow went from 109 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Wartgow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wartgow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Wartgow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wartgow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Wartgow (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 Wartgow mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany, possibly meaning a fortified area or watchtower. 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 Wartgow (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 many people have the last name Wartgow?
See how many people are called Wartgow on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.