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

Waterloo, 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 Waterloo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Waterloo in America

Waterloo is the 72771st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Waterloo surname appeared 267 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waterloo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Waterloo 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 Waterloo

The surname Waterloo is an English toponymic surname, derived from the place name Waterloo, which is the site of the famous Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. The name itself is derived from the Old Dutch "waterlo", meaning "wet meadow" or "marshy land".

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Waterloo date back to the early 19th century, shortly after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. It is believed that some soldiers who fought in the battle, or locals who lived in the area, may have adopted the name Waterloo as a way to commemorate the historic event.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Waterloo was John Waterloo, born in 1790 in Yorkshire, England. He served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and fought at the Battle of Waterloo. After the war, he settled in London and is believed to have taken the surname Waterloo as a tribute to his military service.

Another notable bearer of the surname was William Waterloo, born in 1825 in Wiltshire, England. He was a renowned landscape painter and is known for his vivid depictions of the English countryside. Several of his paintings featuring scenes from the Battle of Waterloo are housed in museums across Europe.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Waterloo was James Waterloo, born in 1840 in New York. He was a farmer and landowner in upstate New York, and his family is believed to have adopted the surname after emigrating from England in the early 19th century.

A famous literary figure with the surname Waterloo was Charles Waterloo, born in 1865 in London. He was a renowned poet and novelist, best known for his epic work "The Battle of Waterloo", a poetic account of the famous battle. His works were widely acclaimed during the Victorian era and contributed to the popularization of the surname.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Elizabeth Waterloo, born in 1892 in Scotland. She was a pioneering woman in the field of medicine and was one of the first female surgeons in the United Kingdom. Despite facing numerous challenges due to gender discrimination, she made significant contributions to the field of surgical techniques and patient care.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Waterloo

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

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

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

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