2000
#12,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,344
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Wayland
From an English place name, likely referring to a land by a road or path through a field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,483 Americans carry the last name Wayland. That puts it at #13,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,040 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wayland 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 Wayland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,040
Census rank
#13,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,165 bearers of the surname Wayland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wayland
The surname Wayland originated in England and has a long history dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "wæge" meaning "way" and "land" meaning "land" or "estate," thus referring to a person who lived near a major road or highway.
The name Wayland is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Walter de Weylaund, who was listed as a landowner in Oxfordshire in the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Waylond" or "Weylaund," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. One notable individual with this surname was John Wayland, a member of the English Parliament in 1295.
By the 14th century, the name had evolved to its modern spelling of "Wayland." During this time, the Wayland family established itself in various parts of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire. A prominent figure from this era was Sir Thomas Wayland, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the mid-14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Wayland gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Watkin Wayland (1516-1590), a renowned English soldier and landowner. He served under King Henry VIII and was known for his military exploits during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Another notable Wayland was John Wayland (1638-1705), an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the late 17th century. He became a prominent figure in the early history of New England and published several influential religious works.
As the name spread across England and later to other parts of the world, various place names and locations were associated with the Wayland surname, such as Wayland Wood in Norfolk and Wayland's Smithy, an ancient long barrow in Oxfordshire.
Overall, the surname Wayland has a rich history deeply rooted in England, dating back to the 11th century and associated with landowners, soldiers, and notable figures throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wayland
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wayland 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 Wayland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,911
- Two or more races3.7% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 72
- Black or African American2.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wayland
Wayland 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
#12,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
+71 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 586 places
2020
#13,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
-250 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 672 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,189 | 2,344 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,775 | 2,415 | 0.82 | +71 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 586 places |
| 2020 | #13,447 | 2,165 | 0.72 | -250 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 672 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 Wayland 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 | #12,775 | #13,447 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,415 | 2,165 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.72 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wayland bearers went from 2,415 to 2,165 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 672 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,775 to #13,447.
FAQ
Wayland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wayland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,483 living Americans carry the surname Wayland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,040 residents.
How common is Wayland?
Wayland ranks #13,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,165 people with the surname Wayland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wayland.
Has Wayland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wayland went from 2,415 recorded bearers to 2,165. That is a decrease of 250 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,775 to #13,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Wayland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Wayland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,911 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wayland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Wayland (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 Wayland mean?
From an English place name, likely referring to a land by a road or path through a field. 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 Wayland (0.72 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 Wayland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.