2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Worrilow
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "wurig" meaning "boggy" and "hlaw" meaning "hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Worrilow. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Worrilow 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Worrilow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Worrilow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Worrilow
The surname Worrilow is believed to have its origins in England, likely deriving from the early medieval period. This surname is thought to have originated from the regions of Lancashire or Cheshire in the northwestern part of England. It is likely derived from Old English words, possibly linked to a geographic feature such as a "worr" (a weir or fish trap) combined with "low," which might refer to a hill or mound. Variations in the spelling of Worrilow over the years have included Worrelow, Worlow, and Worlough.
Historical references to the surname can be found in several old manuscripts and legal documents. One early instance of the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in the 14th century, a tax record dating back to the reign of Edward III. The name Worrilow, or its variants, were often recorded in various forms due to the phonetic spelling practices of medieval scribes who transcribed what they heard.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was William de Worrelow, documented in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire. This indicates the presence and establishment of the name in medieval England. The name also appeared in church registers from the 16th century, evidencing its continuity through the Reformation period.
The surname was borne by individuals who became known within their local communities. An example includes Thomas Worrilow, a notable landowner born around 1620 in Lancashire. He was known for his involvement in local agriculture and municipal affairs during the mid-17th century, a turbulent period marked by the English Civil War.
Another significant figure was John Worrilow, born circa 1710, who relocated to the American colonies in the early 18th century. John became a respected member of the Pennsylvania community, contributing to the early development of towns in the Philadelphia area. His descendants carried on the surname, maintaining its presence in the New World.
In the records of Chester, England, Alice Worrilow appears in the parish register from the year 1594. This baptismal record underscores the continued use and transmission of the surname in local documentation, indicating a well-established family lineage in the region.
In the 19th century, Edward Worrilow, born in 1825, gained prominence as a teacher and local historian in Lancashire. His contributions to documenting the local history of the county included chronicling family genealogies and communal narratives, where the Worrilow surname featured prominently.
The legacy of the Worrilow surname illustrates the journeys and lives of those who bore it, from medieval England to colonial America. The name endures as a testament to the familial and historical significance carried through centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Worrilow
Among Census respondents with the surname Worrilow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Worrilow 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 Worrilow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Worrilow
Worrilow 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,624 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,624 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Worrilow 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 | #151,532 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Worrilow bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Worrilow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Worrilow?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Worrilow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Worrilow?
Worrilow ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Worrilow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Worrilow.
Has Worrilow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Worrilow went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Worrilow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Worrilow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Worrilow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Worrilow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Worrilow (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 Worrilow mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "wurig" meaning "boggy" and "hlaw" meaning "hill." 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 Worrilow (0.04 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 are called Worrilow?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Worrilow at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.