2000
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Wilding
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "willow copse" or "willow-covered land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,269 Americans carry the last name Wilding. That puts it at #14,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,060 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilding 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 Wilding with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,060
Census rank
#14,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,979 bearers of the surname Wilding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilding, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilding
The surname Wilding is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'wild' and 'ing', meaning 'the sons or descendants of the wild one'. It likely originated in the medieval period, referring to someone who lived in a remote or uncultivated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wilding surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a Richard Wylding is listed in Oxfordshire. The surname also appears in the Inquisitiones Post Mortem records from 1366, with a John Wylding mentioned in Worcestershire.
In the 14th century, the Wilding surname was concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire, suggesting that the name may have originated in the West Midlands region of England. The name was sometimes spelled 'Wylding' or 'Wildinge' in older records.
One notable historical figure bearing the Wilding surname was Sir Ralph Wilding (c. 1384-1443), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. He served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1429.
Another prominent individual was John Wilding (1586-1644), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham and was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Robert Wilding (1718-1777) was a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local charities and schools.
The Wilding surname can also be found in various place names across England, such as Wilding Green in Staffordshire and Wilding's Farm in Hampshire, further reinforcing its historical roots in the country.
Other notable individuals with the Wilding surname include the English actress Dorothy Wilding (1893-1976), known for her portrait photography of the British Royal Family, and the Australian cricketer Michael Wilding (born 1940), who played Test cricket for Australia in the 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilding
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilding, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilding 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 Wilding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 1,858
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- Two or more races2.3% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilding
Wilding 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
#14,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
+225 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 262 places
2020
#14,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,979
-168 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,292 | 1,922 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,030 | 2,147 | 0.73 | +225 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 262 places |
| 2020 | #14,497 | 1,979 | 0.66 | -168 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 467 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 Wilding 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 | #14,030 | #14,497 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,147 | 1,979 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.66 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilding bearers went from 2,147 to 1,979 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,030 to #14,497.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wilding
FAQ
Wilding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilding?
Name Census estimates that about 2,269 living Americans carry the surname Wilding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,060 residents.
How common is Wilding?
Wilding ranks #14,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,979 people with the surname Wilding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Wilding.
Has Wilding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilding went from 2,147 recorded bearers to 1,979. That is a decrease of 168 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,030 to #14,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilding, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wilding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wilding (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 Wilding mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "willow copse" or "willow-covered land." 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 Wilding (0.66 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 people have the surname Wilding?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.