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

Wedgewood, 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 Wedgewood surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wedgewood in America

Wedgewood is the 74826th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wedgewood surname appeared 258 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 Wedgewood.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wedgewood 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 Wedgewood

The surname Wedgewood is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old English words "wedge" and "wudu," which together mean "wedge-shaped woods." This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular area or settlement characterized by wedge-shaped woodlands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Staffordshire in 1674, where a John Wedgewood is listed as a resident. The county of Staffordshire is believed to be the birthplace of the Wedgewood name, particularly in the area around the town of Burslem, which was renowned for its pottery industry.

The Wedgewood name gained prominence in the 18th century, thanks to the success of the renowned potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795). Josiah was born in Burslem and went on to establish the Wedgwood company, which became renowned for its high-quality ceramics and innovative designs. His contributions to the pottery industry were significant, and his name became synonymous with fine British craftsmanship.

Another notable figure bearing the Wedgewood name was Ralph Wedgwood (1766-1837), a lawyer and reformer who was a distant cousin of Josiah Wedgwood. Ralph was a prominent abolitionist and campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

In the 19th century, the Wedgewood family continued to make their mark in various fields. Edward Wedgwood (1805-1888) was a renowned horticulturist and botanist, while his brother Hensleigh Wedgwood (1803-1891) was a philologist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of language and etymology.

Another notable figure was Julia Wedgwood (1833-1913), who was a writer and activist. She was a prominent member of the women's suffrage movement and advocated for women's rights and social reform.

The Wedgewood name has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Wedgwood in Staffordshire and Wedgwood Estate in Nottinghamshire, further cementing its historical significance and connection to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wedgewood

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!