2000
#5,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Wortham
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Wortham in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,813 Americans carry the last name Wortham. That puts it at #6,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,963 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wortham 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 Wortham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,963
Census rank
#6,452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,069 bearers of the surname Wortham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortham, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wortham
The surname Wortham is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English words "worð" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead," and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name originated from a place name referring to a homestead or village with an enclosure.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Worðham" and "Wurtham." These entries indicate that individuals with this surname likely resided in areas with similar place names during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name, such as "Wortham" and "Wortham," appearing in various regions of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Hampshire. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of the country over time.
One notable individual with this surname was John Wortham, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic. He was born in 1518 and served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1567 until his death in 1573.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Wortham, a 17th-century English politician and landowner. He was born in 1629 and served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford, Norfolk, from 1661 to 1679.
In the 18th century, Robert Wortham (1702-1786) was an English land surveyor and cartographer who gained recognition for his detailed maps of various counties in England.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Wortham (1828-1899), an English industrialist and philanthropist. He founded the Wortham Textile Mills in Lancashire and was known for his contributions to the local community.
Another notable individual was Louisa Wortham (1855-1932), an English educator and suffragist. She played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement and advocated for equal educational opportunities for women.
Throughout its history, the surname Wortham has been associated with various place names, such as Wortham in Suffolk, Wortham Green in Norfolk, and Wortham in Shropshire. These place names likely served as the origin of the surname for individuals who resided in or were associated with these locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wortham
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortham, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wortham 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 Wortham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.2% · 2,395
- Black or African American43.1% · 2,183
- Two or more races5.4% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 159
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wortham
Wortham 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
#6,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,358
-29 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 476 places
2020
#6,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,069
-289 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,882 | 5,387 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,358 | 5,358 | 1.82 | -29 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 476 places |
| 2020 | #6,452 | 5,069 | 1.70 | -289 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 94 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 Wortham 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 | #6,358 | #6,452 | -1.5% |
| Count | 5,358 | 5,069 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.70 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wortham bearers went from 5,358 to 5,069 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,358 to #6,452.
FAQ
Wortham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wortham?
Name Census estimates that about 5,813 living Americans carry the surname Wortham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,963 residents.
How common is Wortham?
Wortham ranks #6,452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,069 people with the surname Wortham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,813), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wortham.
Has Wortham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wortham went from 5,358 recorded bearers to 5,069. That is a decrease of 289 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,358 to #6,452.
What does the Census say about the background of Wortham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wortham, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Wortham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.2% (2,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wortham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.2%), Black (43.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Wortham (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 Wortham mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Wortham in England. 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 Wortham (1.70 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 share the surname Wortham?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.