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

Wave, 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 Wave surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wave in America

Wave is the 140157th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wave surname appeared 119 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 Wave.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wave 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 Wave

The surname Wave is believed to have originated in the region of Northern Germany, most likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "wabe," which translates to "honeycomb" or "wavy pattern." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a body of water with a wavy or rippling surface.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wave surname can be found in the Hanseatic League records from the 14th century, where a merchant named Hans Wave is mentioned. These records were a collection of documents related to the trade activities of the powerful mercantile league that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe.

In the 16th century, the Wave surname appeared in various church registers and parish records in the town of Lübeck, which was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in this region during that time period.

A notable figure with the Wave surname was Johann Wave (1525-1591), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His compositions, primarily sacred works, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of the Lutheran church music tradition.

In the 17th century, the Wave surname made its way to the British Isles, with records indicating that a family by the name of Wave settled in the county of Yorkshire, England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name in England was William Wave (1630-1698), a successful merchant and landowner who established a prominent estate in the town of Ripon.

Another notable figure with the Wave surname was Friedrich August Wave (1754-1823), a German poet and playwright who was part of the Sturm und Drang literary movement. His works, which often explored themes of individualism and emotion, were influential in the early Romantic period.

As the centuries passed, the Wave surname continued to spread across various regions of Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including the arts, sciences, and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wave

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

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

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

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