2000
#138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 60.44
Common Last name
Washington
A locational surname referring to a town in northeastern England or someone from the U.S. capital city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197,323 Americans carry the last name Washington. That puts it at #148 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 57.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Washington 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 Washington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
197K
1 in 1,737
Census rank
#148
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
57.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172,075 bearers of the surname Washington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 57.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Washington, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Washington
The surname Washington originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "Hwæssingatun," meaning a settlement or estate belonging to the family or followers of a person named Hwaessa.
In the 11th century, the name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wassingeton" and "Wassinton." These early spellings likely referred to places in Durham and Northamptonshire, where the name was first established.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was William de Wessynton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. The surname also appeared in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire (1273) and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex (1296).
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was often associated with the village of Wassingtone in County Durham, which later became known as Washington. Notable individuals from this period include Robert de Wessyngton (born c. 1280) and John de Wessingtone (born c. 1320), whose descendants likely adopted the surname Washington.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and his family traced their ancestry back to the Washingtons of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, England.
Other notable individuals with the surname Washington include Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an influential African American educator and author, and Denzel Washington (born 1954), the acclaimed American actor and director.
The surname Washington has also been associated with various place names, such as Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and the U.S. states of Washington and West Virginia, named in honor of George Washington.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Washington
Among Census respondents with the surname Washington, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Washington 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 Washington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.6% · 143,828
- Two or more races6.0% · 10,401
- White5.8% · 10,012
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,967
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 747
Timeline
Historical Census data for Washington
Washington 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
#145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177,386
+14,350 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 60.14
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172,075
-5,311 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 57.57
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138 | 163,036 | 60.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145 | 177,386 | 60.14 | +14,350 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #148 | 172,075 | 57.57 | -5,311 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 3 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 Washington 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 | #145 | #148 | -2.1% |
| Count | 177,386 | 172,075 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 60.14 | 57.57 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Washington bearers went from 177,386 to 172,075 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #145 to #148.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Washington
FAQ
Washington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Washington?
Name Census estimates that about 197,323 living Americans carry the surname Washington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,737 residents.
How common is Washington?
Washington ranks #148 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 57.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 58 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 172,075 people with the surname Washington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 57.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 57.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 58 of them to have the surname Washington.
Has Washington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Washington went from 177,386 recorded bearers to 172,075. That is a decrease of 5,311 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145 to #148.
What does the Census say about the background of Washington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Washington, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (5.8%). 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 Washington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (143,828 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Washington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (83.6%), Two or More Races (6.0%), White (5.8%). 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 Washington (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 Washington mean?
A locational surname referring to a town in northeastern England or someone from the U.S. capital city. 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 Washington (57.57 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 surname Washington?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.