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

Wedlow, 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 Wedlow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wedlow in America

Wedlow is the 77788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wedlow surname appeared 246 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 Wedlow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wedlow 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 Wedlow

The surname Wedlow originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "wede" meaning "weed" and "hlaw" meaning "hill" or "mound." This suggests the name may have initially referred to a person living on or near a grassy hillock overgrown with weeds.

Records from the 13th century indicate the name was prevalent in rural areas of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, with early spellings including Wedlowe, Wedlou, and Wedlough. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Geoffrey Wedlowe from the village of Huntley in Gloucestershire, one of the earliest known bearers of the name.

In the 14th century, the Wedlow surname appeared in historic documents such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which recorded a John Wedlowe in Worcestershire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1380 also listed a William Wedlowe in Gloucestershire, suggesting the name's continued presence in the region.

Notable individuals bearing the Wedlow surname include Geoffrey Wedlow (c. 1250-1315), a landowner and yeoman farmer from the village of Huntley, mentioned in the Inquisitiones Post Mortem records of 1315. Another early bearer was John Wedlow (c. 1320-1385), a merchant and burgess of the town of Tewkesbury, whose name appeared in the borough records of 1372.

During the 16th century, the Wedlow surname spread to other parts of England, with records showing a Thomas Wedlow (c. 1510-1580) as a tenant farmer in Oxfordshire, and a Richard Wedlow (c. 1535-1605) as a yeoman in Warwickshire. The latter's name was recorded in the Muster Rolls of 1587.

A notable figure from the 17th century was Captain Edward Wedlow (c. 1620-1685), a military officer who served in the English Civil War and whose exploits were documented in the memoirs of Colonel John Bamford, published in 1667.

Throughout its history, the Wedlow surname has maintained a strong association with rural England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire, where it originated and flourished for several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wedlow

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

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

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

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