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

Willcox, 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 Willcox surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willcox in America

Willcox is the 14238th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willcox surname appeared 2,106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Willcox.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willcox 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 Willcox

The surname Willcox is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "wille" meaning "to wish or desire" and "cocc" referring to a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who lived near a desired or sought-after hill or mound.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wilcoc" in the county of Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

By the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Wilcox" and "Willcox" had emerged, likely due to regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping. The name was particularly prominent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir John Willcox, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Willcox, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, in the early 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls, often associated with places like Willcox Green in Oxfordshire and Willcox Farm in Somerset.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was James Willcox (1714-1800), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including the reconstruction of Somerset House.

Another prominent individual was William Willcox (1778-1854), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

As the British Empire expanded, the name Willcox was carried to various parts of the world, including North America, where it became established in the colonial era. One notable American bearer of the name was Silas Willcox (1752-1832), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a judge in New York.

Throughout its history, the surname Willcox has maintained its connection to its English roots, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse regions and dialects in which it has been carried.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willcox

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

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 Willcox 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 Willcox 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 Willcox was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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