2000
#2,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.12
Uncommon Last name
Wiles
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a crafty or devious person, from Old English "wil", meaning trick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,485 Americans carry the last name Wiles. That puts it at #2,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiles 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 Wiles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,663
Census rank
#2,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,632 bearers of the surname Wiles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiles
The surname Wiles originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English word "wil," meaning trick or stratagem. The name likely referred to someone who was considered cunning or deceitful.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Wiles dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wilius." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various records as "Wile" and "Wyles." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
One notable bearer of the Wiles surname was John Wiles, a 14th-century English landowner from Gloucestershire. He is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1340 as holding lands in the village of Blockley.
During the 16th century, the name Wiles appeared in several parish records across England, including those of Wiltshire, Dorset, and Oxfordshire. One such record from 1567 mentions a William Wiles, who was born in the village of Broad Chalke, Wiltshire.
In the 17th century, the Wiles family had established a presence in the county of Warwickshire. Richard Wiles (1609-1681), a prominent member of the family, was a prosperous landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace.
Another notable figure with the Wiles surname was Sir John Wiles (1685-1761), a successful lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in England during the reign of King George II.
In the 19th century, the Wiles name continued to be found across various parts of England, with concentrations in counties such as Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Warwickshire. One such individual was William Wiles (1811-1891), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
Throughout its history, the Wiles surname has been associated with various locations in England, including the village of Willey in Warwickshire, which may have influenced some variations of the name's spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiles
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiles 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 Wiles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 10,919
- Black or African American5.7% · 721
- Two or more races4.0% · 502
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 326
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiles
Wiles 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
#2,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,105
-705 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.44
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#2,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,632
-473 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.23
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,406 | 13,810 | 5.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,754 | 13,105 | 4.44 | -705 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #2,778 | 12,632 | 4.23 | -473 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 24 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 Wiles 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 | #2,754 | #2,778 | -0.9% |
| Count | 13,105 | 12,632 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.44 | 4.23 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiles bearers went from 13,105 to 12,632 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,754 to #2,778.
FAQ
Wiles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiles?
Name Census estimates that about 14,485 living Americans carry the surname Wiles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,663 residents.
How common is Wiles?
Wiles ranks #2,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,632 people with the surname Wiles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wiles.
Has Wiles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiles went from 13,105 recorded bearers to 12,632. That is a decrease of 473 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,754 to #2,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Wiles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (10,919 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Wiles (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 Wiles mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a crafty or devious person, from Old English "wil", meaning trick. 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 Wiles (4.23 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 Wiles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.