2000
#11,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Wooster
From the English place name Worcester, meaning "fort by the Welsh road" or "Roman fort of the Weogora tribe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,495 Americans carry the last name Wooster. That puts it at #13,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wooster 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 Wooster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,376
Census rank
#13,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,176 bearers of the surname Wooster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wooster
The surname Wooster is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "Wudu-ceaster," meaning "wood-town" or "forest-town," referring to a settlement surrounded by or situated near a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named "Wudecestre" in the county of Worcestershire.
The name Wooster is closely linked to the city of Worcester, located in the West Midlands region of England. The city's name evolved from the Old English "Wudu-ceaster" to its modern form over the centuries. It is likely that some early bearers of the Wooster surname hailed from or had ties to this area.
During the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Wudecestre" and "Wodecestre" were commonly used. In the 14th century, spellings like "Wodechester" and "Wodecestr" appeared in historical records. By the 15th century, the spelling had become more standardized, with forms like "Wooster" and "Worcester" emerging.
Notable individuals with the surname Wooster include:
1. Sir Thomas Wooster (c. 1490-1554), an English politician and diplomat who served as Ambassador to France during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. John Wooster (1610-1678), an early settler in New England and one of the founders of the town of Milford, Connecticut.
3. David Wooster (1711-1777), an American soldier who served as a Brigadier General during the American Revolutionary War.
4. Mary Ann Wooster (1787-1859), a British writer and translator known for her work on French literature.
5. John Wooster (1846-1921), an American banker and philanthropist who donated funds for the establishment of Wooster College (now known as The College of Wooster) in Ohio.
The surname Wooster has maintained a presence throughout history, with bearers making contributions in various fields, including politics, military service, literature, and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wooster
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wooster 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 Wooster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,006
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 64
- Two or more races2.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 19
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wooster
Wooster 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
#12,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,419
-122 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,379 places
2020
#13,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,176
-243 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,378 | 2,541 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,757 | 2,419 | 0.82 | -122 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,379 places |
| 2020 | #13,383 | 2,176 | 0.73 | -243 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 626 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 Wooster 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 | #12,757 | #13,383 | -4.9% |
| Count | 2,419 | 2,176 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.73 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wooster bearers went from 2,419 to 2,176 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 626 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,757 to #13,383.
FAQ
Wooster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wooster?
Name Census estimates that about 2,495 living Americans carry the surname Wooster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,376 residents.
How common is Wooster?
Wooster ranks #13,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,176 people with the surname Wooster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wooster.
Has Wooster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wooster went from 2,419 recorded bearers to 2,176. That is a decrease of 243 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,757 to #13,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Wooster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wooster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wooster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wooster (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 Wooster mean?
From the English place name Worcester, meaning "fort by the Welsh road" or "Roman fort of the Weogora tribe." 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 Wooster (0.73 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 common is the surname Wooster?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Wooster on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.