Find out how popular the last name Worth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Worth.

Worth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Worth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Worth in America

Worth is the 4598th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Worth surname appeared 7,713 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Worth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Worth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Worth

The surname Worth originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It derives from the Old English word "worð" or "wyrth," meaning an enclosed homestead, farm, or estate. The name was initially given to people who lived in or near such a homestead or settlement.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Worth date back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes several references to individuals with variations of the Worth surname.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ailric de Worth, a landowner in Hampshire mentioned in the Domesday Book. Other early records include Reginald de Wurth in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191 and William de la Worthe in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.

Over time, the surname evolved to include various spellings, such as Worthe, Wurth, and Wurthe, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. Some of these variants became associated with specific locations, like Worth in Sussex, which likely influenced the name's spelling in that area.

Several notable individuals throughout history bore the Worth surname, including:

1. Richard Worth (c. 1450-1534), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
2. William Worth (c. 1675-1749), an English philosopher and theologian known for his treatise on the immateriality of the soul.
3. Jonathan Worth (1802-1869), a prominent American politician who served as the 29th Governor of North Carolina from 1865 to 1868.
4. William Jenkins Worth (1794-1849), a United States Army officer who fought in the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars, and the Mexican-American War.
5. Nicholas Worth (c. 1641-1711), an English poet and playwright known for his tragedy "The Orphan of China."

The Worth surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating from the Old English word for an enclosed homestead and evolving into various spellings associated with specific regions and notable individuals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Worth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Worth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Worth was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Worth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Worth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Worth, please contact us.

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