2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Villnow
A German toponymic surname derived from a village or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Villnow. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villnow 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Villnow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villnow
The surname Villnow originated in Germany, likely in the early medieval period around the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, which was a common practice for surnames during that time. The prefix "Vill" is thought to come from the German word "Vill," meaning a village or small town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Villnow can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name may have originated in or around that area.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Villnow was Hans Villnow, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Cottbus, Brandenburg. Records indicate that he was born around 1420 and died in 1489.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johann Villnow, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived in the 16th century. He was born in 1525 in the city of Wittenberg, which was a significant center of the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, a man named Friedrich Villnow gained recognition as a skilled blacksmith and metalworker in the town of Potsdam, Brandenburg. His work can still be seen in some of the historic buildings and monuments in the area.
In the late 18th century, a woman named Anna Villnow made a name for herself as a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur in the city of Berlin. She owned and operated a successful textile manufacturing company.
The surname Villnow has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as the village of Villnow in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the town of Villnow in the state of Brandenburg. These place names may have contributed to the origin and spread of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villnow
Among Census respondents with the surname Villnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Villnow 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 Villnow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villnow
Villnow 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+19 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 7,435 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-17 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,776 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +19 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 7,435 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 16,776 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 Villnow 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 | #127,494 | #144,270 | -13.2% |
| Count | 134 | 117 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villnow bearers went from 134 to 117 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 16,776 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #144,270.
FAQ
Villnow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villnow?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Villnow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Villnow?
Villnow ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Villnow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Villnow.
Has Villnow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villnow went from 134 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Villnow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Villnow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villnow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Villnow (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 Villnow mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a village or place name. 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 Villnow (0.04 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 last name Villnow?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Villnow, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.