2000
#7,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Worthen
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure near a ford."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,647 Americans carry the last name Worthen. That puts it at #7,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Worthen 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
4.6K
1 in 73,758
Census rank
#7,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,052 bearers of the surname Worthen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthen, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Worthen
The surname Worthen is of English origin, derived from the place name Worthen, a small village in Shropshire, England. This place name is thought to originate from the Old English words "worð" meaning an enclosed homestead or farm, and "henn" meaning a hill or rising ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Worthen can be found in the Shropshire Feet of Fines from the year 1211, which mentions a Richard de Worthyn. The Hundred Rolls of 1275 also contain references to individuals with the surname Worthen, such as William de Worthyn and John de Worthyn, both residing in the county of Shropshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various historical records, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, which lists a Johannes Worthyn. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also mention a Thomas Worthyn.
During the 16th century, the surname Worthen began to spread beyond its place of origin in Shropshire. One notable individual from this time period was John Worthen, a merchant from London, who was born around 1530 and played a role in the English Reformation.
In the 17th century, the Worthen surname found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Ezekiel Worthen, who was born in England in 1628 and later settled in Amesbury, Massachusetts.
Other notable individuals with the surname Worthen include:
1. Sir William Worthen (1776-1849), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Barbados from 1832 to 1837.
2. Thomas Worthen (1807-1884), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 28th Governor of New Hampshire from 1859 to 1863.
3. John Worthen (1820-1902), an American theologian and educator who served as the president of Wofford College in South Carolina from 1854 to 1859.
4. Amos Henry Worthen (1813-1888), an American geologist and paleontologist who served as the State Geologist of Illinois from 1858 to 1888.
5. Ethel Worthen (1888-1976), an American writer and journalist who was known for her work on women's rights and social issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Worthen
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthen, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Worthen 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 Worthen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 2,829
- Black or African American20.7% · 838
- Two or more races4.6% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Worthen
Worthen 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
#7,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,197
+236 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#7,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,052
-145 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Up 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,733 | 3,961 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,888 | 4,197 | 1.42 | +236 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #7,850 | 4,052 | 1.36 | -145 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 38 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 Worthen 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 | #7,888 | #7,850 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,197 | 4,052 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.36 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Worthen bearers went from 4,197 to 4,052 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,888 to #7,850.
FAQ
Worthen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Worthen?
Name Census estimates that about 4,647 living Americans carry the surname Worthen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,758 residents.
How common is Worthen?
Worthen ranks #7,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,052 people with the surname Worthen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Worthen.
Has Worthen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Worthen went from 4,197 recorded bearers to 4,052. That is a decrease of 145 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,888 to #7,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Worthen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthen, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Worthen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (2,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Worthen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Black (20.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Worthen (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 Worthen mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure near a ford." 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 Worthen (1.36 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 have the last name Worthen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Worthen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.