2000
#8,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Walcott
Derived from a place name meaning "cottage or shelter in the forest" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,003 Americans carry the last name Walcott. That puts it at #7,368 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walcott 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Walcott with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,510
Census rank
#7,368
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,363 bearers of the surname Walcott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7368th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walcott, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Walcott
The surname Walcott has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "walh" meaning "foreigner" or "stranger" and "cot" meaning "cottage" or "small dwelling." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a cottage or settlement inhabited by foreigners or settlers from another region.
The name is thought to have first appeared in the county of Shropshire, where it was associated with the village of Walcot near the town of Shrewsbury. Early records from the 13th century mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Walter de Walecote and William de Walcote.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Walcott can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled for King Edward I. The rolls mention a John de Walcote from Shropshire, indicating the presence of the name in that area during that time period.
In the 14th century, the Walcott name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, which were records of tax payments. These rolls mention a Richard de Walcote, suggesting the name had spread to neighboring counties by that point.
During the 15th century, the name Walcott gained prominence with the emergence of notable individuals bearing the surname. One such figure was Sir John Walcott (c. 1420-1499), a member of Parliament and landowner in Somerset. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the region for several generations.
Another significant bearer of the Walcott name was John Walcott (1626-1667), an English theologian and minister who served as the rector of St. Martin's Church in Canterbury. He was known for his writings on religious topics and his involvement in the Church of England during the turbulent times of the English Civil War and the Interregnum.
In the 18th century, the Walcott name gained further recognition with the birth of John Walcott (1754-1831), an English naturalist and entomologist. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and published several works on the subject, including "Descriptions of Petra Insectorum" and "Illustrations of British Entomology."
The 19th century saw the emergence of Benjamin Walcott (1822-1894), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting rural scenes in Britain. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and are held in collections around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walcott
Among Census respondents with the surname Walcott, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Walcott 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 Walcott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.5% · 2,159
- White38.4% · 1,674
- Two or more races5.5% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 210
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walcott
Walcott 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
#7,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,346
+560 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 428 places
2020
#7,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,363
+17 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,069 | 3,786 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,641 | 4,346 | 1.47 | +560 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 428 places |
| 2020 | #7,368 | 4,363 | 1.46 | +17 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 273 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 Walcott 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 | #7,641 | #7,368 | 3.6% |
| Count | 4,346 | 4,363 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.46 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walcott bearers went from 4,346 to 4,363 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 273 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,641 to #7,368.
FAQ
Walcott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walcott?
Name Census estimates that about 5,003 living Americans carry the surname Walcott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,510 residents.
How common is Walcott?
Walcott ranks #7,368 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,363 people with the surname Walcott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Walcott.
Has Walcott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walcott went from 4,346 recorded bearers to 4,363. That is an increase of 17 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,641 to #7,368.
What does the Census say about the background of Walcott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walcott, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Walcott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (2,159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walcott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.5%), White (38.4%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Walcott (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 Walcott mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "cottage or shelter in the forest" in Old English. 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 Walcott (1.46 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 Americans have the surname Walcott?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.