2000
#9,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Works
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of machinery or mechanical devices.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,276 Americans carry the last name Works. That puts it at #10,684 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Works 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 Works with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,626
Census rank
#10,684
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,857 bearers of the surname Works in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10684th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Works, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Works
The surname "Works" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Middle English word "werk," which means "work" or "labor." The name likely referred to someone who worked in a specific trade or craft, such as a builder, carpenter, or blacksmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a person named Robert le Werk. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname indicates that it was an occupational name at the time.
Another early record of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a person named John Werke. This variation in spelling was common during the Middle Ages, as surnames were not standardized until much later.
The surname "Works" may also have been derived from the place name Werk in Norfolk, which is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Werc." Some individuals may have taken the name from their place of origin or residence.
One notable historical figure with the surname "Works" was John Works (c. 1592-1645), an English Puritan clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises. Another was George Works (1688-1753), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1722 to 1727.
In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Worke, Woorke, and Wourke. For example, Edward Worke (1610-1651) was an English clergyman and author who wrote against the Quakers.
Later on, in the 18th century, we find John Works (1701-1762), a Scottish minister and author who wrote on religious topics. In the same century, there was also Thomas Works (1742-1823), an English engraver and painter known for his portrait engravings.
As the centuries progressed, the surname "Works" spread across different regions of England and beyond, with individuals from various backgrounds and occupations bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Works
Among Census respondents with the surname Works, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Works 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 Works surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 1,644
- Black or African American32.9% · 941
- Two or more races4.7% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Works
Works 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
#10,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
-98 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 1,022 places
2020
#10,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,857
-77 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,835 | 3,032 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,857 | 2,934 | 0.99 | -98 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,022 places |
| 2020 | #10,684 | 2,857 | 0.96 | -77 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 173 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 Works 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 | #10,857 | #10,684 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,934 | 2,857 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.96 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Works bearers went from 2,934 to 2,857 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,857 to #10,684.
FAQ
Works surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Works?
Name Census estimates that about 3,276 living Americans carry the surname Works. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,626 residents.
How common is Works?
Works ranks #10,684 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,857 people with the surname Works. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Works.
Has Works become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Works went from 2,934 recorded bearers to 2,857. That is a decrease of 77 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,857 to #10,684.
What does the Census say about the background of Works?
Among Census respondents with the surname Works, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Works in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (1,644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Works appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (32.9%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Works (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 Works mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of machinery or mechanical devices. 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 Works (0.96 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 Works?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.