2000
#3,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,052
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.10
Uncommon Last name
Waugh
From the Old English word "wāg," referring to a wall, suggesting an occupational surname for a mason or builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,534 Americans carry the last name Waugh. That puts it at #3,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,346 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waugh 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 Waugh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,346
Census rank
#3,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,930 bearers of the surname Waugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waugh
The surname Waugh is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "walh" or "walah," meaning "foreigner" or "stranger." This term was initially used to refer to people of Celtic or Romanized British descent living among the Anglo-Saxons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waugh can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire, where a person named William le Waleys was mentioned in 1246. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Waleys, Walch, Walgh, and eventually Waugh.
The name Waugh has been associated with several historical figures throughout the centuries. One notable example is Sir William Waugh (1644-1707), a Scottish military officer who served as the Governor of the Presidencies of Madras and Fort St. George in India during the late 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Evelyn Arthur St. John Waugh (1903-1966), an English writer best known for his novels like "Brideshead Revisited" and "A Handful of Dust." He was a prominent figure in the literary world and is considered one of the great satirical novelists of the 20th century.
The Waugh surname also has connections to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Waughtown, located in Lancashire, is believed to have derived its name from the Waugh family, who were once prominent landowners in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Waugh include:
1. Ralph Waugh (1635-1733), an English Quaker minister and diarist known for his detailed accounts of life in 17th-century England.
2. Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940), an American marine painter celebrated for his seascapes and coastal scenes.
3. Alec Waugh (1898-1981), a British novelist and travel writer who was the elder brother of Evelyn Waugh.
4. Julia Nava Waugh (1888-1973), an American sculptor and art educator known for her work in the American Southwest.
5. Dan Waugh (born 1949), an American historian and expert on the Silk Road and Central Asian studies.
While the surname Waugh may have originated from a term denoting foreigners, it has since become an integral part of English and British history, with many notable individuals bearing this name contributing significantly to various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Waugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Waugh 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 Waugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 9,149
- Black or African American8.6% · 943
- Two or more races3.9% · 422
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waugh
Waugh 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
#3,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,387
+335 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#3,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,930
-457 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,001 | 11,052 | 4.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,171 | 11,387 | 3.86 | +335 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #3,220 | 10,930 | 3.66 | -457 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 49 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 Waugh 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 | #3,171 | #3,220 | -1.5% |
| Count | 11,387 | 10,930 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.66 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waugh bearers went from 11,387 to 10,930 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,171 to #3,220.
FAQ
Waugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waugh?
Name Census estimates that about 12,534 living Americans carry the surname Waugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,346 residents.
How common is Waugh?
Waugh ranks #3,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,930 people with the surname Waugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,534), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Waugh.
Has Waugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waugh went from 11,387 recorded bearers to 10,930. That is a decrease of 457 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,171 to #3,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Waugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Waugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (9,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Waugh (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 Waugh mean?
From the Old English word "wāg," referring to a wall, suggesting an occupational surname for a mason or builder. 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 Waugh (3.66 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 have the surname Waugh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.