Find out how popular the last name Willard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Willard.

Willard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Willard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willard in America

Willard is the 1690th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willard surname appeared 21,352 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Willard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Willard

The surname Willard originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Wilard," which itself comes from the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "ard" meaning "hardy" or "brave." The name was likely given to a child who was particularly determined or strong-willed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Willard surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Wilard" in the county of Essex.

During the Middle Ages, the Willard surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in East Anglia. Some early variations of the spelling included Wilard, Wilarde, Wyllard, and Wyllarde.

In the 13th century, a Willard family held lands in the village of Ringwood in Hampshire. This is likely the origin of the place name "Willard's Ash," which appears in records from that time.

One notable bearer of the Willard surname was Simon Willard (c. 1605-1676), an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634. He became a prominent citizen and landowner in the colony and served as a captain in the militia.

Another famous Willard was Samuel Willard (1640-1707), a Puritan minister and author who served as the president of Harvard College from 1701 until his death.

In the 18th century, Joseph Willard (1738-1804) was a respected clergyman and educator. He served as the president of Harvard College from 1781 to 1804.

Frances Elizabeth Willard (1839-1898) was a prominent educator and social reformer who led the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement.

Daniel Willard (1861-1942) was a notable railroad executive who served as the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1910 to 1941, overseeing the company's growth and modernization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Willard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Willard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Willard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Willard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Willard, please contact us.

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