2000
#166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,906
First available Census row
Per 100,000 54.83
Common Last name
Warren
An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or caretaker of a game park or preserve.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 167,360 Americans carry the last name Warren. That puts it at #186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 48.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warren 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 Warren with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
167K
1 in 2,048
Census rank
#186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
48.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
146K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 145,946 bearers of the surname Warren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 48.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warren
The surname Warren is of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French word "warrene" meaning "animal enclosure" or "hunting preserve". It is believed to have originated in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman nobles and their followers settled in the country and were granted lands by William the Conqueror.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with a mention of a William de Warenne in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is also found in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Curia Regis Rolls.
One of the most notable bearers of the surname was William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (c. 1166-1240), a powerful Norman nobleman who played a significant role in the Barons' War against King John. Another prominent figure was John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (c. 1286-1347), who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence and the Hundred Years' War.
In addition to its association with noble families, the surname Warren was also derived from various place names in England, such as Warren in Somerset, Warrington in Lancashire, and Warrener in Northamptonshire. These place names often referred to areas where game was kept for hunting.
Other notable individuals with the surname Warren include Joseph Warren (1741-1775), an American Revolutionary leader who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814), an American writer and playwright who was a prominent figure in the American Revolution. In the 19th century, Samuel P. Warren (1809-1867) was an American jurist and author who wrote several influential legal treatises.
The Warren surname has also been borne by several notable artists and writers, including Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989), an American poet and novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and Mercy Warren (1805-1828), an American novelist and playwright who was a pioneer of early American literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warren
Among Census respondents with the surname Warren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Warren 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 Warren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.3% · 98,260
- Black or African American23.5% · 34,293
- Two or more races4.5% · 6,503
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,830
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,045
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,015
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warren
Warren 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
#181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152,147
+4,241 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 51.58
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145,946
-6,201 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 48.83
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #166 | 147,906 | 54.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #181 | 152,147 | 51.58 | +4,241 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #186 | 145,946 | 48.83 | -6,201 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 5 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 Warren 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 | #181 | #186 | -2.8% |
| Count | 152,147 | 145,946 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 51.58 | 48.83 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warren bearers went from 152,147 to 145,946 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #181 to #186.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Warren
FAQ
Warren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warren?
Name Census estimates that about 167,360 living Americans carry the surname Warren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,048 residents.
How common is Warren?
Warren ranks #186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 48.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 145,946 people with the surname Warren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (167,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 48.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 48.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Warren.
Has Warren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warren went from 152,147 recorded bearers to 145,946. That is a decrease of 6,201 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #181 to #186.
What does the Census say about the background of Warren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Warren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (98,260 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.3%), Black (23.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Warren (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 Warren mean?
An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or caretaker of a game park or preserve. 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 Warren (48.83 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 are called Warren?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Warren on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.