2000
#8,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Willette
A diminutive form of the French surname "Willet," derived from the Old French "ville," meaning "settlement" or "town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,215 Americans carry the last name Willette. That puts it at #8,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willette 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
4.2K
1 in 81,318
Census rank
#8,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,676 bearers of the surname Willette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willette, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willette
The surname WILLETTE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is a variant spelling of the surname Willett, which itself is a diminutive form of the medieval English given name William. The name William derives from the Germanic name Willahelm, composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection".
The earliest recorded instances of the WILLETTE surname can be traced back to the 13th century in county records and tax rolls from various regions of England. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John Willette, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the WILLETTE surname appeared in various parish records and court documents across England. Notably, a Thomas Willette was mentioned in the Hertfordshire Visitation of 1572, indicating that members of this family had achieved a certain degree of social standing by that time.
In the 18th century, the WILLETTE surname was found in various parts of England, including London and the surrounding counties. One notable bearer was Sir Richard Willette (1690-1766), a prominent merchant and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1741.
As the British Empire expanded during the 19th century, many WILLETTE families emigrated to various colonies and territories around the world. One such individual was John Willette (1815-1892), a British explorer and naturalist who documented numerous plant and animal species during his travels in Australia and New Zealand.
Other notable individuals with the WILLETTE surname include:
1. William Willette (1857-1926), a French caricaturist and illustrator known for his political satires.
2. Gustave Willette (1859-1925), a French painter and printmaker associated with the Impressionist movement.
3. Adolphe Willette (1857-1926), a French painter and lithographer known for his Art Nouveau posters.
4. Léon Willette (1886-1965), a French actor and film director active in the early 20th century.
5. Marie-Claude Willette (1926-2008), a French novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of identity and social justice.
While the WILLETTE surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willette
Among Census respondents with the surname Willette, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Willette 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 Willette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 3,323
- Two or more races4.0% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 120
- Black or African American1.3% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willette
Willette 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
#8,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,835
+233 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 163 places
2020
#8,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,676
-159 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,426 | 3,602 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,589 | 3,835 | 1.30 | +233 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 163 places |
| 2020 | #8,583 | 3,676 | 1.23 | -159 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 6 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 Willette 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 | #8,589 | #8,583 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,835 | 3,676 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.23 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willette bearers went from 3,835 to 3,676 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,589 to #8,583.
FAQ
Willette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willette?
Name Census estimates that about 4,215 living Americans carry the surname Willette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,318 residents.
How common is Willette?
Willette ranks #8,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,676 people with the surname Willette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Willette.
Has Willette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willette went from 3,835 recorded bearers to 3,676. That is a decrease of 159 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,589 to #8,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Willette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willette, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Willette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,323 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Willette (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 Willette mean?
A diminutive form of the French surname "Willet," derived from the Old French "ville," meaning "settlement" or "town." 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 Willette (1.23 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 Americans have the surname Willette?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.