2000
#5,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,494
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Warwick
From the Old English elements meaning "dweller by the weir or river dam" and "farm or settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,774 Americans carry the last name Warwick. That puts it at #6,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,362 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warwick 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 Warwick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,362
Census rank
#6,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,035 bearers of the surname Warwick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warwick
The surname Warwick is of English origin, derived from the town of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 7th century AD.
The name Warwick is thought to be derived from the Old English words "wǣringwīc," meaning "dwelling or settlement by the weir." The weir was a structure used to control the flow of water, typically in a river or stream, and was an important feature for early settlements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Warwick can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions "Warwichscire," referring to the county of Warwickshire.
In the 12th century, a notable figure with the surname Warwick was William de Newburgh, also known as William of Newburgh (c. 1136-1198). He was an English historian and author of the "Historia Rerum Anglicarum" (History of English Affairs), a chronicle of English history from 1066 to 1198.
Another prominent individual with the surname Warwick was Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick (1428-1471), also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker." He played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic conflicts between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne.
In the literary realm, Mary Anne Madame Warwick (1815-1900) was an English novelist and playwright who wrote under the pseudonym "Harriet Martineau." Her works often addressed social and political issues, such as women's rights and abolition of slavery.
Another notable figure was William Warwick (1904-1993), an English actor and playwright. He was known for his performances in films like "The Colditz Story" (1955) and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" (1962).
Robert Warwick (1878-1965) was an American actor who appeared in numerous silent films and early talkies. He is considered one of the first major stars of the motion picture industry.
The surname Warwick has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Warwyke, Warwyk, and Warwic, reflecting regional dialects and changes in language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warwick
Among Census respondents with the surname Warwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Warwick 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 Warwick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 4,495
- Two or more races3.4% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 169
- Black or African American2.6% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warwick
Warwick 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
#6,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,411
-83 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#6,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,035
-376 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,774 | 5,494 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,307 | 5,411 | 1.83 | -83 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #6,482 | 5,035 | 1.68 | -376 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 175 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 Warwick 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 | #6,307 | #6,482 | -2.8% |
| Count | 5,411 | 5,035 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.68 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warwick bearers went from 5,411 to 5,035 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,307 to #6,482.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Warwick
FAQ
Warwick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warwick?
Name Census estimates that about 5,774 living Americans carry the surname Warwick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,362 residents.
How common is Warwick?
Warwick ranks #6,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 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 5,035 people with the surname Warwick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 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 Warwick.
Has Warwick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warwick went from 5,411 recorded bearers to 5,035. That is a decrease of 376 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,307 to #6,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Warwick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Warwick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (4,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warwick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Warwick (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 Warwick mean?
From the Old English elements meaning "dweller by the weir or river dam" and "farm or settlement." 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 Warwick (1.68 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 Warwick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.