2000
#6,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,815
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Willie
Derived from a nickname for William, which comes from the Germanic name Willahelm, meaning "resolute protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,001 Americans carry the last name Willie. That puts it at #7,370 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Willie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,537
Census rank
#7,370
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,361 bearers of the surname Willie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7370th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willie, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (22.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willie
Among Census respondents with the surname Willie, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (22.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Willie 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 Willie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.5% · 1,808
- Black or African American27.8% · 1,212
- American Indian and Alaska Native22.4% · 977
- Two or more races4.0% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willie
Willie 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
#6,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,025
+210 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#7,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,361
-664 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,502 | 4,815 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,720 | 5,025 | 1.70 | +210 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #7,370 | 4,361 | 1.46 | -664 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 650 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 Willie 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 | #6,720 | #7,370 | -9.7% |
| Count | 5,025 | 4,361 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.46 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willie bearers went from 5,025 to 4,361 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 650 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,720 to #7,370.
FAQ
Willie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willie?
Name Census estimates that about 5,001 living Americans carry the surname Willie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,537 residents.
How common is Willie?
Willie ranks #7,370 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,361 people with the surname Willie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,001), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Willie.
Has Willie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willie went from 5,025 recorded bearers to 4,361. That is a decrease of 664 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,720 to #7,370.
What does the Census say about the background of Willie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willie, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (22.4%). 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 Willie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (1,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (41.5%), Black (27.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (22.4%). 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 Willie (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 Willie mean?
Derived from a nickname for William, which comes from the Germanic name Willahelm, meaning "resolute protection." 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 Willie (1.46 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 people share the surname Willie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.