2000
#5,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Wilk
A Polish and Jewish surname derived from the Slavic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person's characteristics or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,900 Americans carry the last name Wilk. That puts it at #6,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilk 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 Wilk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,094
Census rank
#6,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,145 bearers of the surname Wilk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilk
The surname WILK originates from Poland, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "wilk," meaning "wolf." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a wooded area inhabited by wolves or someone with wolf-like characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WILK surname can be found in the "Liber Beneficiorum" (Book of Benefices) from the Archdiocese of Gniezno, dated around 1275. This medieval document mentions a cleric named "Wilk de Dobramila" from the village of Dobramila.
In the 14th century, the surname WILK appeared in various historical records across different regions of Poland. For instance, in 1388, a landowner named "Janek Wilk" was mentioned in a document from the town of Kraków.
The WILK surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Stanisław WILK (1516-1598), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War against Russia. Another is Józef WILK (1800-1854), a Polish poet and translator known for his translations of works by Lord Byron and Adam Mickiewicz.
In the 16th century, the variant spelling "WILCZ" emerged, likely due to the influence of the Polish word "wilczy," meaning "of the wolf." This spelling can be found in records from the town of Sandomierz, where a merchant named "Maciej Wilcz" is mentioned in 1543.
The WILK surname has also been connected to various place names in Poland, such as the village of Wilków near Radom, and the town of Wilkowice in the Silesian region, both of which may have derived their names from the presence of wolves or from individuals bearing the WILK surname.
Other notable individuals with the WILK surname include Andrzej WILK (1870-1929), a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits, and Eugeniusz WILK (1916-1997), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed several innovative technologies for the mining industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilk
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilk 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 Wilk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 4,809
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 151
- Two or more races2.2% · 113
- Black or African American0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilk
Wilk 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
#5,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,763
+101 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 349 places
2020
#6,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,145
-618 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,622 | 5,662 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,971 | 5,763 | 1.95 | +101 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 349 places |
| 2020 | #6,358 | 5,145 | 1.72 | -618 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 387 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 Wilk 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 | #5,971 | #6,358 | -6.5% |
| Count | 5,763 | 5,145 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 1.72 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilk bearers went from 5,763 to 5,145 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,971 to #6,358.
FAQ
Wilk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilk?
Name Census estimates that about 5,900 living Americans carry the surname Wilk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,094 residents.
How common is Wilk?
Wilk ranks #6,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,145 people with the surname Wilk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wilk.
Has Wilk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilk went from 5,763 recorded bearers to 5,145. That is a decrease of 618 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,971 to #6,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wilk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (4,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wilk (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 Wilk mean?
A Polish and Jewish surname derived from the Slavic word for "wolf," likely referring to a person's characteristics or occupation. 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 Wilk (1.72 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 last name Wilk?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Wilk at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.