2000
#1,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.23
Uncommon Last name
Washburn
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stream by a marsh" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,179 Americans carry the last name Washburn. That puts it at #1,816 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,454 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Washburn 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 Washburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,454
Census rank
#1,816
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,341 bearers of the surname Washburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1816th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Washburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Washburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Washburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Washburn 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 Washburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 17,271
- Two or more races3.7% · 717
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 616
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 338
- Black or African American1.3% · 245
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Washburn
Washburn 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
#1,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,030
+525 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.79
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#1,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,341
-689 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 6.47
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,685 | 19,505 | 7.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,793 | 20,030 | 6.79 | +525 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #1,816 | 19,341 | 6.47 | -689 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 23 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 Washburn 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 | #1,793 | #1,816 | -1.3% |
| Count | 20,030 | 19,341 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.79 | 6.47 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Washburn bearers went from 20,030 to 19,341 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,793 to #1,816.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Washburn
FAQ
Washburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Washburn?
Name Census estimates that about 22,179 living Americans carry the surname Washburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,454 residents.
How common is Washburn?
Washburn ranks #1,816 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,341 people with the surname Washburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Washburn.
Has Washburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Washburn went from 20,030 recorded bearers to 19,341. That is a decrease of 689 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,793 to #1,816.
What does the Census say about the background of Washburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Washburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Washburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (17,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Washburn 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 (3.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Washburn (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 Washburn mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stream by a marsh" in Old English. 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 Washburn (6.47 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 Washburn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.