# Ware (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ware/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norman |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 49,316 |
| US rank (2010) | 700 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 6,261 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.6% (46,682 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Wares |

## Etymology

* As an English surname, from the noun weir. * Also as an English surname, from Anglo-Norman and Middle English wayour (“horse pond”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wadą (“shallow water”). * Also as an English surname, from the adjective wary. * As an English surname of Norman origin, variant of Warr. * As a West Flemish surname, from De Weer, from Middle Dutch weder (“ram”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ware in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 49% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 45% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ware in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Ware

- Ruth Ware, British author of crime thrillers
- Leon Ware, American recording artist, songwriter and composer (1940–2017)
- Herta Ware, American actress (1917–2005)
- Chris Ware, American cartoonist known for his Acme Novelty Library series (begun 1994) and several gra
- Wilbur Ware, American jazz musician (1923-1979)
- Koko B. Ware, American professional wrestler
- Irene Ware, American actress (1910-1993)
- Kel'el Ware, American basketball player (born 2004)
- DeMarcus Ware, American football player (born 1982)
- Helen Ware, American stage and film actress (1877-1939)
- Casper Ware, American basketball player (born 1990)
- Leo Ware, American tennis player (1876–1914)

and 7 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Wear, Warr, Wire, Weir, Wray, Weyer, Wehr, Wier, Wherry, Weary, Weier, Wyer.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.