Find out how popular the last name Vilson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vilson.

Vilson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vilson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vilson in America

Vilson is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vilson surname appeared 173 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vilson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vilson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vilson

The surname VILSON originated in the northern regions of Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Its roots can be traced back to the Medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from an Old Norse or Old Germanic word, "viljon," which means "will" or "determination," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone with a strong-willed or resolute personality.

In the early records, the surname VILSON appeared with various spellings, such as Vilsson, Wilsson, and Willson, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences of the time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents, where a person named Thorvald Vilsson is mentioned in the late 13th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the VILSON surname began to spread across Northern Europe, particularly in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Notable individuals bearing this name include Johann Vilhelm Vilson, a Swedish military officer and explorer who participated in the Great Northern War (1700-1721), and Nils Vilson, a Finnish painter and artist who lived in the late 19th century (1836-1904).

In the 18th and 19th centuries, as migration patterns increased, the VILSON surname made its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. One prominent figure was William Wilson (1801-1860), an English writer and philosopher who is best known for his work "The Renunciation of Reason." Another notable bearer of the name was Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), a Scottish-American ornithologist and naturalist, often referred to as the "Father of American Ornithology."

As the VILSON surname spread across different regions, it also underwent various transformations and adaptations. In some areas, it was influenced by place names or local dialects, resulting in variations such as Wilsonburg, Wilsonville, or Vilsonia. For example, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the 28th President of the United States, whose surname was derived from a place name in Scotland.

Throughout history, the VILSON surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and military leaders. Some other notable figures include Robert Woodrow Wilson (1936-), an American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, and Edward O. Wilson (1929-), an American biologist and naturalist known for his work on sociobiology and biodiversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vilson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vilson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vilson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vilson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vilson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vilson, please contact us.

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