2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wasso
A derivative of the Germanic name Watzo, meaning a traveler from a distant place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Wasso. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasso 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Wasso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (11.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasso
The surname WASSO is believed to have originated in Sweden during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "vass," which means "marsh" or "wetland." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WASSO can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls of 1540, where a man named Johan Wasso is listed as a resident of the village of Skara. This village was located in a region known for its numerous wetlands and marshes, lending credence to the theory of the name's etymology.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Nils Wasso (1540-1612) was a Swedish military officer who played a significant role in the Northern Seven Years' War against Russia. His bravery and leadership on the battlefield earned him a reputation as a skilled tactician.
During the 17th century, the name WASSO appeared in several church records and land registries throughout Sweden. For instance, in 1668, a man named Erik Wasso was recorded as the owner of a farmstead near the town of Linköping.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname WASSO was the Swedish artist and painter, Anna Wasso (1701-1785). She is renowned for her exquisite portraits of the Swedish nobility and her mastery of the Baroque style of painting.
Another notable figure was the Swedish botanist and explorer, Carl Wasso (1758-1824), who accompanied several scientific expeditions to South America and the West Indies. He is credited with discovering and cataloging numerous new plant species during his travels.
In the 19th century, the WASSO name gained prominence with the birth of Gustaf Wasso (1819-1892), a prominent Swedish industrialist and philanthropist. He founded several successful businesses and was known for his generous contributions to education and social welfare initiatives.
While the surname WASSO is not as common today as it once was in Sweden, it remains a part of the country's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the historical ties to the wetlands and marshes that played a significant role in the lives of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasso
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (11.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasso 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 Wasso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.1% · 64
- Black or African American19.4% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasso
Wasso 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+9 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 675 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-22 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 675 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 19,470 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 Wasso 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 | #134,712 | #154,182 | -14.5% |
| Count | 125 | 103 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasso bearers went from 125 to 103 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 19,470 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Wasso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasso?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Wasso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Wasso?
Wasso ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Wasso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wasso.
Has Wasso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasso went from 125 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (11.7%). 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 Wasso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.1%), Black (19.4%), Hispanic (11.7%). 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 Wasso (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 Wasso mean?
A derivative of the Germanic name Watzo, meaning a traveler from a distant place. 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 Wasso (0.03 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 people are called Wasso?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Wasso, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.