2000
#3,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.09
Rare Last name
Worthy
Descriptive of a distinguished or honorable person, or one who was a landowner in a place called Worthy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,524 Americans carry the last name Worthy. That puts it at #4,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Worthy 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 Worthy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 35,988
Census rank
#4,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,305 bearers of the surname Worthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Worthy
The surname Worthy originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "wurðig," meaning "estimable" or "having merit." This name was likely bestowed upon individuals who were deemed virtuous, honorable, or of high standing within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Worthy can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a certain Robert Worthy is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established by the late 12th century.
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Wurthy and Worthi, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations in spelling. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 document a John Wurthy residing in Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the name Worthy was associated with several notable individuals. A John Worthy, born around 1320 in Somerset, is recorded as a prominent landowner and member of the local gentry. Additionally, a William Worthy, born circa 1360 in Yorkshire, was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of York.
The renowned Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Worthy. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of this surname, such as Worthing in Sussex and Wortham in Suffolk.
As the centuries progressed, the Worthy surname continued to spread across various regions of England. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Thomas Worthy, born in 1530 in Gloucestershire. He was a renowned scholar and philosopher who authored several influential works on religion and ethics.
Another prominent individual with the Worthy surname was Sir William Worthy, born in 1620 in Kent. He was a distinguished military officer who served in the English Civil War and later became a Member of Parliament.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Worthy surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Devon. Several families with this name held estates and positions of influence in these regions.
Throughout its history, the Worthy surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, artists, politicians, and academics. While not an exhaustive list, some other notable figures with this surname include John Worthy (1679-1743), a renowned architect from Dorset, and Elizabeth Worthy (1768-1824), a celebrated poet and writer from Somerset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Worthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Worthy 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 Worthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.2% · 4,502
- White37.0% · 3,075
- Two or more races5.3% · 437
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Worthy
Worthy 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
#4,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,795
+468 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#4,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,305
-490 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,919 | 8,327 | 3.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,040 | 8,795 | 2.98 | +468 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #4,142 | 8,305 | 2.78 | -490 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 102 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 Worthy 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 | #4,040 | #4,142 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,795 | 8,305 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.98 | 2.78 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Worthy bearers went from 8,795 to 8,305 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,040 to #4,142.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Worthy
FAQ
Worthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Worthy?
Name Census estimates that about 9,524 living Americans carry the surname Worthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,988 residents.
How common is Worthy?
Worthy ranks #4,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,305 people with the surname Worthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Worthy.
Has Worthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Worthy went from 8,795 recorded bearers to 8,305. That is a decrease of 490 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,040 to #4,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Worthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Worthy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Worthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (4,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Worthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.2%), White (37.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Worthy (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 Worthy mean?
Descriptive of a distinguished or honorable person, or one who was a landowner in a place called Worthy. 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 Worthy (2.78 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 Worthy?
You can see how many people have the last name Worthy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.