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

Wayman, 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 Wayman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wayman in America

Wayman is the 6307th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wayman surname appeared 5,411 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wayman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wayman 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 Wayman

The surname Wayman is of English origin and is thought to have derived from the Old English words "weg" meaning "way" and "mann" meaning "man", suggesting that the name was initially an occupational one referring to someone who was responsible for maintaining or guarding roads and pathways.

This surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with some of the earliest recorded instances appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it was spelled as "le Wayman". It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, written as "Wayman".

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms in different regions of England, such as "Weymon" in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 and "Weyeman" in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1397.

One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was John Wayman, who was recorded in the Inquisitiones post mortem for Oxfordshire in 1366. Another early reference can be found in the Patent Rolls of 1440, which mention a Thomas Wayman from Kent.

The Wayman surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including Sir William Wayman (1529-1597), a prominent English lawyer and landowner during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another figure was John Wayman (1633-1705), a Puritan minister and author from Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, William Wayman (1730-1811) was a renowned English engraver and sculptor, known for his intricate work on medals and seals. Additionally, Joseph Wayman (1763-1828) was a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Sir Hussey Vivian Wayman (1892-1979), a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1955.

While the Wayman surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, where it is often spelled as "Wyman" or "Wheyman".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wayman

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

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

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

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