Explore the Family Name Ways

The meaning of Ways

Scottish and English: possibly a variant of Wace.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ways has seen a significant increase in its popularity over a decade. In 2000, Ways was ranked as the 55,237th most common surname and by 2010, it had climbed to the rank of 51,723rd, marking a growth rate of 6.36 percent. The actual count of individuals bearing the surname also rose from 348 in 2000 to 402 in 2010, an increase of 15.52 percent. Proportionally, for every 100,000 people, the presence of this surname grew from 0.13 in 2000 to 0.14 in 2010, experiencing a 7.69 percent increase.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#55,237	#51,723	6.36%
Count	348	402	15.52%
Proportion per 100k	0.13	0.14	7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ways

When it comes to ethnicity associated with the surname Ways, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as either White (48.56 percent) or Black (46.55 percent). By 2010, there was a minor increase in those identifying as White (50.75 percent), but a notable decrease in those identifying as Black (37.06 percent). During the same period, there were substantial increases in those identifying as Hispanic (from 2.87 percent to 5.97 percent) and those reporting two or more races (from 2.01 percent to 4.23 percent). There were no individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	48.56%	50.75%	4.51%
Black	46.55%	37.06%	-20.39%
Hispanic	2.87%	5.97%	108.01%
Two or More Races	2.01%	4.23%	110.45%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%