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

Wedgeworth, 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 Wedgeworth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wedgeworth in America

Wedgeworth is the 18715th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wedgeworth surname appeared 1,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wedgeworth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wedgeworth 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 Wedgeworth

The surname "WEDGEWORTH" is an English locational name originating in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire during the late medieval period. It derives from the Old English words "wæcg" meaning "ridge" or "wedge," and "worþ" meaning an enclosure or homestead. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a wedge-shaped piece of land or ridge.

Records indicate the earliest spelling variations included Wedgeworth, Wedgewood, Wedgwith, and Wedgwuth. While the name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, it emerges in various historical records from the 13th century onwards.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John de Wedgewurth, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. Another early record is that of William Wedgewurth, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Shropshire in 1327.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the Wedgeworth surname. These include Sir Ralph Wedgeworth (1518-1583), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire, and Thomas Wedgeworth (1567-1636), an English clergyman and author of religious texts.

In the 18th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), the famous English potter and entrepreneur who founded the Wedgwood company. His innovative techniques and designs revolutionized the pottery industry, and his surname became closely associated with fine ceramics.

Other notable Wedgeworths throughout history include William Wedgeworth (1805-1867), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War, and Julia Wedgwood (1833-1913), a Victorian-era poet and philanthropist who campaigned for women's education and rights.

While the Wedgeworth surname has evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its origins remain firmly rooted in the geographical features of the English Midlands, reflecting the rich tapestry of place names and their influence on family names.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wedgeworth

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

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

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

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