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

Washburn, 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 Washburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Washburn in America

Washburn is the 1793rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Washburn surname appeared 20,030 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Washburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Washburn 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 Washburn

The surname WASHBURN is of English origin, derived from a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream. It is composed of the Old English elements "wæsc" meaning "a washing or a stream" and "burna" meaning "a stream or brook." The name likely originated in areas of England with an abundance of streams and brooks.

The earliest recorded instances of the WASHBURN surname date back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, there is a mention of a Richard de Wasseburn. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a John de Wasshebourn. These early spellings highlight the variations in the name over time.

The WASHBURN surname has been found in various historical records throughout English history. One notable example is John Washbourne, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1564 to 1565.

Another notable individual with the WASHBURN surname was William Washburn (1619-1686), an early settler of Duxbury, Massachusetts, who arrived in America aboard the Mayflower in 1620. He was a prominent figure in the early colonial period and served as a deputy to the General Court of Plymouth Colony.

In the 18th century, Israel Washburn (1784-1828) was a notable American politician from Massachusetts who served as the 23rd Governor of Maine. His son, Israel Washburn Jr. (1813-1883), was also a politician and served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from Maine.

Another prominent figure with the WASHBURN surname was Cadwallader Colden Washburn (1818-1882), an American industrialist and politician from Wisconsin. He founded the Washburn-Crosby Company, which later became General Mills, one of the largest food companies in the world.

The WASHBURN surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Washburn County in Wisconsin and Washburn, Maine. These locations were likely named after individuals with the WASHBURN surname, further emphasizing the historical significance of this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Washburn

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

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 Washburn 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 Washburn 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 Washburn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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