2000
#3,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.60
Uncommon Last name
Wilbur
Derived from a place name meaning "willow brook" or "well stream," likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,052 Americans carry the last name Wilbur. That puts it at #3,929 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilbur 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 Wilbur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,098
Census rank
#3,929
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,766 bearers of the surname Wilbur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3929th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilbur, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilbur
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilbur, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilbur 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 Wilbur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 7,715
- Two or more races3.9% · 338
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 333
- Black or African American2.1% · 181
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilbur
Wilbur 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
#3,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,527
-195 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.23
Rank movement Down 356 places
2020
#3,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,766
-761 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,363 | 9,722 | 3.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,719 | 9,527 | 3.23 | -195 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 356 places |
| 2020 | #3,929 | 8,766 | 2.93 | -761 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 210 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 Wilbur 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 | #3,719 | #3,929 | -5.6% |
| Count | 9,527 | 8,766 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.23 | 2.93 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilbur bearers went from 9,527 to 8,766 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,719 to #3,929.
FAQ
Wilbur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilbur?
Name Census estimates that about 10,052 living Americans carry the surname Wilbur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,098 residents.
How common is Wilbur?
Wilbur ranks #3,929 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 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 8,766 people with the surname Wilbur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 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 Wilbur.
Has Wilbur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilbur went from 9,527 recorded bearers to 8,766. That is a decrease of 761 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,719 to #3,929.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilbur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilbur, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Wilbur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (7,715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilbur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Wilbur (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 Wilbur mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "willow brook" or "well stream," likely referring to a person's residence. 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 Wilbur (2.93 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 common is the surname Wilbur?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Wilbur on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.