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

Wilcox, 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 Wilcox surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilcox in America

Wilcox is the 602nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilcox surname appeared 56,286 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Wilcox.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilcox 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 Wilcox

The surname Wilcox has its origins in England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wil," meaning willow, and "cocc," referring to a small stream or waterway. Therefore, the name literally translates to "one who dwells near a willow stream."

This surname was predominantly found in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, where willow trees and small streams were abundant. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Wilcocus and Wilcoc.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a Richard Wilcok in Oxfordshire. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Walter Wylecok is mentioned.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Wilcox, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1350. He was a landowner and is mentioned in local records from that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Wilcox became more widespread, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Sir John Wilcox (1530-1608), an English politician and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Wilcox (1549-1608), an English Puritan minister and author. He was a vocal critic of the Church of England and wrote several influential works on religious reform.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Wilcox (1722-1792) was a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier and politician from Connecticut. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and later became a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.

In the 19th century, Walter Wilcox (1828-1903) was a notable American engineer and inventor. He developed several improvements to the steam engine and was also involved in the early development of the bicycle.

Throughout history, the surname Wilcox has been associated with various places, such as Wilcox County in Alabama, Wilcox in Pennsylvania, and Wilcox in Saskatchewan, Canada, all of which were likely named after individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilcox

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

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

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

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