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

Wilbur, 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 Wilbur surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilbur in America

Wilbur is the 3719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilbur surname appeared 9,527 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Wilbur.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilbur 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 Wilbur

The surname Wilbur originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English personal name Wilburh, which is composed of the elements "wil" meaning desire and "burh" meaning fortress or fortification. This name likely referred to someone who lived near a fortified location or stronghold.

In its earliest forms, the name was recorded as Wilburch, Wilbure, and Wilbor in various medieval records and manuscripts. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Wilbur de Wichcomb, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1196.

The Wilbur surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Wilburgus and Wilburgham, referring to place names in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk respectively. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

Renowned historical figures with the Wilbur surname include John Wilbur (1627-1702), an early settler in Rhode Island and a prominent Quaker leader, and John Wilbur (1774-1856), a United States Representative from New Hampshire.

Other notable Wilburs throughout history include:

• Asa Wilbur (1742-1825), an American manufacturer and inventor known for developing a machine for cutting screws.
• William Wilbur (1828-1905), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Wilbur Chocolate Company.
• Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875-1949), an American academic and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Calvin Coolidge.
• Richard Wilbur (1921-2017), an American poet and literary translator who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice.

While the Wilbur surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilbur

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

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 Wilbur 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 Wilbur 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 Wilbur was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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