2000
#70,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Willaman
A variant spelling of the English surname Williman or Willimont, derived from William, a common Norman French personal name meaning "resolute protection".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306 Americans carry the last name Willaman. That puts it at #77,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,120,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willaman 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.
Bearers in the US
306
1 in 1,120,112
Census rank
#77,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267 bearers of the surname Willaman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willaman
The surname Willaman is believed to have originated from the Germanic countries, particularly from regions that are now part of modern-day Germany. The roots of the name likely trace back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. Linguistically, the surname may be derived from older Germanic or Anglo-Saxon elements like "Wil," meaning will or desire, and "mann," meaning man. Therefore, it could be interpreted as "desire of man" or "man of will."
Early records suggest that the surname appeared in various forms. In medieval Germanic regions, variations such as Willeman, Willmann, and Wilemann have been found in documents from the time. These variations point to local dialectal differences and the phonetic spelling practices of the period. By the late Middle Ages, the name Willaman had become more stabilized in its current form.
Historical manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries contain references to individuals bearing this name. One example is a record from the Hanseatic League's archives in the late 14th century, where a merchant named Jacob Willman is mentioned. His trading activities in the Baltic region are well documented, offering a glimpse into the economic life of the time.
In 1521, another notable individual, Heinrich Willaman, is recorded in the annals of Frankfurt. Heinrich was a prominent figure during the early Reformation period and was known for his fervent support of Martin Luther's teachings. His efforts in spreading Lutheranism in the Rhineland region are documented in several ecclesiastical records.
The surname also appears in English records due to the influence of Germanic migration and trade. A William Willman, born in 1602, appears in the parish records of London. He was known to be a master blacksmith and played a significant role in the local guilds of his time.
In the 18th century, the name crossed the Atlantic with European immigrants. An early settler named Samuel Willaman is recorded to have arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753. Samuel's descendants played a crucial role in the development of local communities and contributed to the American Revolutionary War effort.
By the mid-19th century, another notable individual, Johan Willaman (1825–1883), emerged. Johan was a well-known composer in Bavaria and contributed numerous works to the Romantic music genre. His pieces were celebrated in the concert halls of Munich and Vienna, earning him recognition beyond his local region.
Through the centuries, the Willaman surname has been borne by a number of notable individuals across various regions and professions, reflecting the diverse contributions of this family name in different historical contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willaman
Among Census respondents with the surname Willaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Willaman 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 Willaman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 257
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willaman
Willaman 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
#74,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 259
+1 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 3,929 places
2020
#77,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+8 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,854 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,679 | 258 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,608 | 259 | 0.09 | +1 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 3,929 places |
| 2020 | #77,462 | 267 | 0.09 | +8 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 2,854 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 Willaman 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 | #74,608 | #77,462 | -3.8% |
| Count | 259 | 267 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willaman bearers went from 259 to 267 (+3.1% change). The surname moved down 2,854 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,608 to #77,462.
FAQ
Willaman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willaman?
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the surname Willaman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,120,112 residents.
How common is Willaman?
Willaman ranks #77,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 267 people with the surname Willaman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Willaman.
Has Willaman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willaman went from 259 recorded bearers to 267. That is an increase of 8 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #74,608 to #77,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Willaman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Willaman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willaman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Two or More Races (1.1%), Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Willaman (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 Willaman mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Williman or Willimont, derived from William, a common Norman French personal name meaning "resolute protection". 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 Willaman (0.09 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 Willaman?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Willaman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.