2000
#8,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Wilkey
Derived from a place name meaning "willow tree island" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,321 Americans carry the last name Wilkey. That puts it at #8,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkey 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 Wilkey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,323
Census rank
#8,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,768 bearers of the surname Wilkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkey
The surname WILKEY is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "wīlic," which translates to "willow tree." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived near a willow tree or in an area abundant with willows.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name WILKEY dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1193 as "Wyllicus de Haliwell." This entry indicates that the name was already well-established in Yorkshire at that time.
In the 13th century, the WILKEY surname can be found in various records, including the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1212, where it appears as "Wylekyn de Wollaston." This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the WILKEY surname was John Wilkey, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1379.
In the 16th century, the WILKEY surname can be found in the records of the Parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Canterbury, Kent. The register of baptisms from 1558 includes the entry of "Alyce Wilkey, daughter of Thomas Wilkey."
A notable figure with the WILKEY surname was Sir Edward Wilkey, a prominent landowner and politician in Lincolnshire during the 17th century. He was born in 1620 and served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham from 1661 to 1679.
Another individual of note was William Wilkey, a renowned architect born in Gloucestershire in 1725. He is best known for designing several churches and public buildings in the Cotswolds region.
In the 19th century, the WILKEY surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. One notable bearer was Robert Wilkey, a prominent industrialist from Bradford, Yorkshire, who was born in 1810 and made significant contributions to the textile industry.
The WILKEY surname has also been recorded in various ancient manuscripts and documents, such as the Domesday Book, the Hearth Tax Rolls, and parish registers throughout England, further solidifying its historical roots and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkey 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 Wilkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 3,313
- Black or African American4.9% · 186
- Two or more races3.6% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkey
Wilkey 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
#7,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,183
+386 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 144 places
2020
#8,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,768
-415 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,053 | 3,797 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,909 | 4,183 | 1.42 | +386 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 144 places |
| 2020 | #8,419 | 3,768 | 1.26 | -415 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 510 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 Wilkey 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 | #7,909 | #8,419 | -6.4% |
| Count | 4,183 | 3,768 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.26 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkey bearers went from 4,183 to 3,768 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 510 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,909 to #8,419.
FAQ
Wilkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,321 living Americans carry the surname Wilkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,323 residents.
How common is Wilkey?
Wilkey ranks #8,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,768 people with the surname Wilkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Wilkey.
Has Wilkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkey went from 4,183 recorded bearers to 3,768. That is a decrease of 415 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,909 to #8,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Wilkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Wilkey (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 Wilkey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "willow tree island" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived there. 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 Wilkey (1.26 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 Wilkey?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Wilkey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.