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

Washington, 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 Washington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Washington in America

Washington is the 145th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Washington surname appeared 177,386 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 60 people would have the surname Washington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Washington 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 Washington

The surname Washington originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "Hwæssingatun," meaning a settlement or estate belonging to the family or followers of a person named Hwaessa.

In the 11th century, the name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wassingeton" and "Wassinton." These early spellings likely referred to places in Durham and Northamptonshire, where the name was first established.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was William de Wessynton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. The surname also appeared in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire (1273) and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex (1296).

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was often associated with the village of Wassingtone in County Durham, which later became known as Washington. Notable individuals from this period include Robert de Wessyngton (born c. 1280) and John de Wessingtone (born c. 1320), whose descendants likely adopted the surname Washington.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and his family traced their ancestry back to the Washingtons of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, England.

Other notable individuals with the surname Washington include Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an influential African American educator and author, and Denzel Washington (born 1954), the acclaimed American actor and director.

The surname Washington has also been associated with various place names, such as Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and the U.S. states of Washington and West Virginia, named in honor of George Washington.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Washington

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

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

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

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