2000
#4,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Rare Last name
Wentworth
A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "enclosure or settlement near a bend or path."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,020 Americans carry the last name Wentworth. That puts it at #4,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wentworth 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 Wentworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 37,999
Census rank
#4,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,866 bearers of the surname Wentworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wentworth
The surname Wentworth is of English origin, deriving from the town of Wentworth in South Yorkshire. The name is believed to have emerged during the 11th century, stemming from the Old English words "Went" and "worth," meaning "district by the winding stream."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is mentioned as "Vuentuurt" or "Wentuurde." This entry refers to a settlement in the West Riding of Yorkshire, likely the modern-day Wentworth.
During the Middle Ages, the Wentworth family held significant influence and landholdings in Yorkshire. Notable members include William de Wentworth, who was appointed as a Justice of the King's Bench in 1326 under King Edward III.
In the 15th century, the Wentworth name gained prominence through Sir Roger Wentworth (c. 1455-1539), a member of the Wentworth family of Nettlestead in Suffolk. He served as a member of the Privy Council under King Henry VIII and played a crucial role in the dissolution of the monasteries.
Another notable figure was Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641), a prominent statesman and advisor to King Charles I. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland and was later executed for his support of the King during the English Civil War.
The Wentworth surname also has connections to the United States, with William Wentworth (1616-1697) being one of the early settlers in New Hampshire. He served as a military leader and held various government positions in the colony.
Over the centuries, the surname has been associated with various place names, such as Wentworth Woodhouse, a grand country house in South Yorkshire, and Wentworth Castle, a stately home in Stainborough, Yorkshire.
Other notable individuals bearing the Wentworth surname include:
1. Benning Wentworth (1696-1770), colonial governor of New Hampshire.
2. Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1730-1782), British statesman and Prime Minister.
3. William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872), an Australian explorer, journalist, and politician.
4. Patricia Wentworth (1878-1961), a British crime fiction writer.
5. Lorna Wentworth (1891-1986), an American novelist and playwright.
The Wentworth surname has a rich history rooted in English nobility, landholdings, and influential individuals across various fields, spanning multiple centuries and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wentworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wentworth 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 Wentworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 7,182
- Two or more races3.5% · 273
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 231
- Black or African American1.2% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wentworth
Wentworth 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
#4,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,023
-116 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#4,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,866
-157 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,006 | 8,139 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,428 | 8,023 | 2.72 | -116 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #4,358 | 7,866 | 2.63 | -157 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 70 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 Wentworth 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 | #4,428 | #4,358 | 1.6% |
| Count | 8,023 | 7,866 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.72 | 2.63 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wentworth bearers went from 8,023 to 7,866 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,428 to #4,358.
FAQ
Wentworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wentworth?
Name Census estimates that about 9,020 living Americans carry the surname Wentworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,999 residents.
How common is Wentworth?
Wentworth ranks #4,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,866 people with the surname Wentworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Wentworth.
Has Wentworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wentworth went from 8,023 recorded bearers to 7,866. That is a decrease of 157 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,428 to #4,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Wentworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wentworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Wentworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (7,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wentworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Wentworth (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 Wentworth mean?
A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "enclosure or settlement near a bend or path." 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 Wentworth (2.63 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 Americans have the surname Wentworth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.