2000
#4,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Wick
From a place name derived from the Old Norse word "vík," meaning a bay or small port.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,266 Americans carry the last name Wick. That puts it at #4,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,991 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wick 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 Wick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,991
Census rank
#4,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,080 bearers of the surname Wick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wick
The surname Wick is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "wic," which means a dwelling, village, or hamlet. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a small settlement or village.
In the Domesday Book, a vital medieval census compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, there are several entries for places containing the word "wick," such as Upwyk, Wyke, and Wyken. These entries provide evidence of the early existence and usage of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wick was William de Wyk, who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the 13th century. Another early instance is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William de la Wyke is mentioned.
The surname Wick has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Wyke Regis in Dorset, Wickham in Hampshire, and Wyke in Yorkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Wick throughout history are:
1. Sir Peter Wick (c. 1592-1658), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hereford.
2. John Wick (c. 1677-1737), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. George in the East.
3. William Wick (1796-1865), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
4. Gustav Wick (1867-1935), a German botanist and professor at the University of Berlin, known for his contributions to plant physiology.
5. Gian-Carlo Wick (1909-1992), a Swiss physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics.
The surname Wick has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Wicke, Wyke, Wycke, and Wike, reflecting the regional pronunciations and influences of different dialects in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wick
Among Census respondents with the surname Wick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wick 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 Wick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 7,390
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 282
- Two or more races2.9% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 74
- Black or African American0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wick
Wick 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
#4,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,333
+276 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#4,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,080
-253 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,055 | 8,057 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,253 | 8,333 | 2.82 | +276 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #4,243 | 8,080 | 2.70 | -253 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 10 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 Wick 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 | #4,253 | #4,243 | 0.2% |
| Count | 8,333 | 8,080 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.70 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wick bearers went from 8,333 to 8,080 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,253 to #4,243.
FAQ
Wick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wick?
Name Census estimates that about 9,266 living Americans carry the surname Wick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,991 residents.
How common is Wick?
Wick ranks #4,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,080 people with the surname Wick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Wick.
Has Wick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wick went from 8,333 recorded bearers to 8,080. That is a decrease of 253 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,253 to #4,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Wick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (7,390 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wick (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 Wick mean?
From a place name derived from the Old Norse word "vík," meaning a bay or small port. 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 Wick (2.70 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 Wick?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.