2000
#5,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,644
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Waits
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, guard, or hunter who lies in wait for prey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,141 Americans carry the last name Waits. That puts it at #6,134 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waits 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 Waits with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,814
Census rank
#6,134
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,355 bearers of the surname Waits in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6134th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waits, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waits
The surname "Waits" is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "waiten," which meant "to watch" or "to guard." This occupation-based surname was given to those who served as watchmen or sentries, particularly those who guarded the gates of towns and cities.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Wayte" or "Waite," reflecting the phonetic spelling used at the time. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
One notable early bearer of this surname was John Waite, a prominent merchant and alderman of London in the 14th century. He is mentioned in historical records from 1349, and his family held significant influence in the city's affairs during that period.
Another historical figure with this surname was William Wayte, a celebrated English scholar and theologian who lived during the 16th century. He was born in 1529 and served as the Rector of Bamburgh in Northumberland.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Virginia Colony in the United States. One of the earliest settlers bearing this surname was Thomas Waits, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and established a homestead in what is now Henrico County.
A significant individual with this surname was Sir Nicholas Waites, an English politician and judge who lived from 1615 to 1677. He served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer and played a crucial role in the legal and political affairs of his time.
The Waits surname also has ties to the village of Waite in Staffordshire, England, which may have contributed to the name's origin or provided a place-based variation of the surname.
Throughout history, the Waits surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, merchants, politicians, and settlers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences associated with this ancient English name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waits
Among Census respondents with the surname Waits, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Waits 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 Waits surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 4,194
- Black or African American12.8% · 684
- Two or more races4.3% · 228
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waits
Waits 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
#6,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,661
+17 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 417 places
2020
#6,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,355
-306 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,642 | 5,644 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,059 | 5,661 | 1.92 | +17 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 417 places |
| 2020 | #6,134 | 5,355 | 1.79 | -306 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 75 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 Waits 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 | #6,059 | #6,134 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,661 | 5,355 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.79 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waits bearers went from 5,661 to 5,355 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,059 to #6,134.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Waits
FAQ
Waits surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waits?
Name Census estimates that about 6,141 living Americans carry the surname Waits. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,814 residents.
How common is Waits?
Waits ranks #6,134 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 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 5,355 people with the surname Waits. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 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 Waits.
Has Waits become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waits went from 5,661 recorded bearers to 5,355. That is a decrease of 306 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,059 to #6,134.
What does the Census say about the background of Waits?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waits, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Waits in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (4,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waits appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Waits (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 Waits mean?
An occupational surname referring to a watchman, guard, or hunter who lies in wait for prey. 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 Waits (1.79 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 Americans have the surname Waits?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.