Explore the Family Name Varns

The meaning of Varns

English (Sussex): topographic name for someone who lived in a place where ferns grew, from the plural of varn, southern and western dialect form of fern. See also Fern, Fearn, and Ferns.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Varns in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Varns' underwent a notable shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Varns' was ranked 62,961 in terms of frequency, but by 2010, it had slipped to rank 74,608, representing an 18.5% decrease in its standing. The number of people carrying this surname also diminished from 297 in 2000 to 259 in 2010, a drop of approximately 12.79%. Accordingly, the proportion of individuals named 'Varns' per 100,000 population reduced by 18.18% over this decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#62,961	#74,608	-18.5%
Count	297	259	-12.79%
Proportion per 100k	0.11	0.09	-18.18%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Varns

The ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Varns' also saw certain changes during the same period, as shown in the Decennial U.S. Census data. In both 2000 and 2010, there were no reported instances of the name among Asian/Pacific Islanders, those identifying as two or more races, or American Indian and Alaskan Natives. However, the percentage of White individuals with this surname decreased slightly from 87.88% in 2000 to 84.17% in 2010. Interestingly, the Black community saw a significant rise in the use of 'Varns', increasing from 7.74% in 2000 to 11.58% in 2010, marking a growth of nearly 50%. Conversely, the Hispanic representation declined by about 28.25%, moving from 2.69% to 1.93% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	87.88%	84.17%	-4.22%
Black	7.74%	11.58%	49.61%
Hispanic	2.69%	1.93%	-28.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%