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

Willie, 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 Willie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willie in America

Willie is the 6720th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willie surname appeared 5,025 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Willie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willie 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 Willie

The surname Willie originates from Scotland and is believed to have derived from the ancient Gaelic personal name Uilleam, which is the Scottish form of the name William. This name is derived from the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will or desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet or protection."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Willie can be traced back to the 13th century in the Scottish Highlands and Hebrides islands. It is likely that the name was initially used as a patronymic, meaning "son of Willie" or "son of William." The earliest recorded bearer of the surname was Gillecrist Willie, who is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1264.

In the 14th century, the surname Willie appeared in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name was also found in the Bute Rental of 1505, which recorded landholders on the Isle of Bute.

One notable bearer of the surname Willie was Sir John Willie (c. 1520-1590), a Scottish landowner and member of the Parliament of Scotland. He was granted lands in Renfrewshire and played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.

Another prominent figure with the Willie surname was Reverend Robert Willie (1614-1675), a Scottish minister and poet who served as the minister of Kilmarnock. He is best known for his collection of religious poems titled "Recreations of Pious Men," published in 1663.

In the 18th century, the Willie surname was found in various parts of Scotland, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Borders region. One notable bearer from this period was John Willie (1721-1801), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned estates in Ayrshire.

The Willie surname has also been associated with place names in Scotland, such as Williamsburgh, a village in Renfrewshire, and Williemuir, a farm near Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the Willie surname who were landowners or residents in those areas.

Throughout history, the Willie surname has been spelled in various ways, including Willie, Wyllie, and Wylly, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willie

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

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

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

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