2000
#2,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Wharton
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Wharton in England, likely referring to a farmstead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,718 Americans carry the last name Wharton. That puts it at #3,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wharton 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 Wharton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,950
Census rank
#3,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,091 bearers of the surname Wharton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wharton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wharton
The surname Wharton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hwr" meaning a"at" and "tun" meaning "enclosure or settlement". It originally referred to a person who lived near a settlement or enclosure.
The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Huertone" and "Hverton", referring to places in Yorkshire and Cheshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname itself is Whuerton, found in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded as Wherton, Wharton, and Whartone. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spellings used at the time. The modern spelling of Wharton became more standardized in the 16th century.
Notable historical figures with the surname Wharton include:
1. Thomas Wharton (1495-1568), an English priest and one of the first Protestant martyrs, burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (1613-1696), an English nobleman and military commander who fought for the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.
3. Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton (1648-1715), an English nobleman and Whig politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
4. Anne Wharton (1659-1685), an English poet and writer, one of the first female authors to be published in English.
5. Edith Wharton (1862-1937), a renowned American novelist and short story writer, known for works such as "The Age of Innocence" and "Ethan Frome".
The name Wharton is also associated with several place names in England, including Wharton, a village in Cheshire, and Wharton Hill, a suburb of Durham.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wharton
Among Census respondents with the surname Wharton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wharton 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 Wharton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 7,860
- Black or African American19.9% · 2,202
- Two or more races4.5% · 502
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 396
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wharton
Wharton 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
#3,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,656
+302 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#3,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,091
-565 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,910 | 11,354 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,084 | 11,656 | 3.95 | +302 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #3,177 | 11,091 | 3.71 | -565 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 93 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 Wharton 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 | #3,084 | #3,177 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,656 | 11,091 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.71 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wharton bearers went from 11,656 to 11,091 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,084 to #3,177.
FAQ
Wharton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wharton?
Name Census estimates that about 12,718 living Americans carry the surname Wharton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,950 residents.
How common is Wharton?
Wharton ranks #3,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,091 people with the surname Wharton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wharton.
Has Wharton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wharton went from 11,656 recorded bearers to 11,091. That is a decrease of 565 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,084 to #3,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Wharton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wharton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wharton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (7,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wharton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wharton (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 Wharton mean?
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Wharton in England, likely referring to a farmstead. 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 Wharton (3.71 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 people have the last name Wharton?
You can see how many people have the last name Wharton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.