2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Washco
A surname likely derived from an English place name containing the elements "wash" and "co".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Washco. 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 Washco 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 Washco 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 Washco, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Washco
The surname WASHCO has its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "waschco," which referred to a person who worked as a launderer or washer of clothes. The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, describing the trade or profession of the family's early ancestors.
In the 12th century, records from the town of Augsburg in present-day Bavaria mention a merchant named Heinrich Washco, suggesting that the name had already established itself in the region. Over the following centuries, variations of the spelling, such as "Waschko" and "Waschke," appeared in various medieval documents across German-speaking lands.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name WASHCO can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a landowner named Konrad Washco in the year 1376. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the region during the late Middle Ages.
During the 16th century, the name WASHCO gained prominence with the rise of Matthias Washco (1520-1588), a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. His writings and sermons influenced the religious landscape of the time, and his name became associated with the intellectual and theological movements of the era.
Another notable figure bearing the WASHCO surname was Johannes Washco (1648-1716), a renowned German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and worked as a professor at the University of Leipzig, where he mentored several prominent scientists of his time.
In the 18th century, the name WASHCO appeared in the records of the town of Göttingen, where a family of merchants and traders bearing the surname established themselves as influential members of the local community. One of their descendants, Wilhelm Washco (1782-1856), was a prominent industrialist who played a pivotal role in the region's economic development during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution.
As the centuries progressed, the WASHCO surname spread across various regions of Germany and beyond, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Despite its geographic dispersion, the name has maintained a strong connection to its Germanic roots and continues to be associated with the historical legacy of the regions where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Washco
Among Census respondents with the surname Washco, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Washco 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 Washco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Washco
Washco 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,445 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 2,445 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,042 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 Washco 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 | #139,228 | #144,270 | -3.6% |
| Count | 120 | 117 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Washco bearers went from 120 to 117 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #144,270.
FAQ
Washco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Washco?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Washco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Washco?
Washco 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 Washco. 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 Washco.
Has Washco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Washco went from 120 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Washco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Washco, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Washco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Washco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Washco (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 Washco mean?
A surname likely derived from an English place name containing the elements "wash" and "co". 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 Washco (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 Washco?
You can see how many people have the last name Washco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.