Explore the Family Name Wadlow
The meaning of Wadlow
English: from a lost place, in some cases no doubt Wadlow in Toddington (Bedfordshire), which is probably named with the Old English personal name Wada + Old English hlāw ‘mound, hill’. Other possibilities include Wadloo Farms in West Wratting (Cambridgeshire), though it is unknown whether this was an inhabited place in the period of surname formation. The Cambridgeshire placename means ‘look-out hill’, from Old English weard ‘watch, protection’ + hlāw. This surname is also found in Suffolk and Norfolk, and may be from an unidentified place there. This name is also perhaps a variant of Wadley.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wadlow in the United States?
According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Wadlow has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked at 30,352 in terms of commonality amongst surnames in the United States, but by 2010 it had fallen to 31,412, representing a drop of 3.49%. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of people with the Wadlow surname increased marginally from 727 to 737, a growth of 1.38%. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the Wadlow surname decreased by 7.41% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,352 | #31,412 | -3.49% |
| Count | 727 | 737 | 1.38% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.27 | 0.25 | -7.41% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wadlow
The ethnicity associated with the Wadlow surname, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, remained predominantly white between 2000 and 2010, with a minimal decline of 0.16% over the decade. The representation of the Hispanic identity also saw a slight decrease of 1.21%, while there was an almost static representation of those identifying with two or more races, which dropped just 1.36%. Interestingly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identity associated with the Wadlow surname experienced a significant increase of 35.25% over the decade. There were no individuals within the Asian/Pacific Islander or Black categories associated with this surname during these years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.33% | 91.18% | -0.16% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.61% | 3.53% | 35.25% |
| Two or More Races | 2.2% | 2.17% | -1.36% |
| Hispanic | 1.65% | 1.63% | -1.21% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |