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

Willi, 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 Willi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willi in America

Willi is the 35537th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willi surname appeared 633 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Willi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willi 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 Willi

The surname Willi is believed to have originated in the regions of Switzerland and Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to have been derived from a given name that itself comes from the old Germanic name "Willo," which is a diminutive form of Wilhelm (William). Wilhelm is composed of the elements “wil” meaning “will or desire” and “helm” meaning “helmet or protection.”

Early references to the surname can be found in Switzerland and Southern Germany where the name was likely borne by various notable families. The name appears in Swiss records as early as the 14th century, showing the deep historical roots of the surname within these regions. The exact timeline of the emergence of the surname can be generally traced back to the 1300s, known for being a period of recovery and reconstruction following the aftermath of the Black Death in Europe.

Historical records, including tax records, land deeds, and local council documents, provide evidence of the surname's usage. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Willi can be found in Swiss archives from 1387 where a Johannes Willi is mentioned as a landowner in Zürich. Another key documented example is the mention of a Ludovicus Willi in clerical annals from 1425, suggesting the name’s adoption by various societal strata, including religious orders.

Over time, variants in the spelling of the surname have appeared in different manuscripts and regions. Spellings like Wylly, Willy, and Willig were also noted, reflecting phonetic interpretations of the period. In the 16th century, the name appears in records of the Protestant Reformation, specifically concerning records of a reformer named Heinrich Willi from Basel, born in 1514 and active in ecclesiastical reform until his death in 1576. His contributions helped spread Protestant principles in Switzerland and parts of Germany.

During the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War impacted Central Europe significantly. A soldier named Wilhelm Willi, born in 1607, served in the Swedish armies under King Gustavus Adolphus, known for their role in the Protestant military campaigns. He was noted for his service in key battles like the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631 and died in 1645.

The name’s spread continued with the expansion of the Swiss and German populations into neighboring countries and beyond Europe, notably well into the Americas. A notable example is Johann Willi, a Swiss immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753. He and his descendants became prominent in local township governance and communal farming practices.

One famous modern historical figure with the last name is Ernst Willi, a mathematician born in 1901 who contributed to the development of early 20th-century mathematical theories and taught at universities in Zurich and Berlin until his death in 1975. These notable individuals and records reflect the rich and varied history of the surname Willi from the medieval period through to the modern age.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willi

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

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

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

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