2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Willimann
A locational surname originating from a place called Willi or Willingen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Willimann. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willimann 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Willimann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willimann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willimann
The surname Willimann originates from the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. The earliest recorded instances trace back to the medieval period, particularly around the 14th and 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the personal name Wilhelm, a common Germanic given name composed of the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." The suffix -mann indicates "man of" or "descendant of."
Historical documents such as the Burgerrodel (citizens' register) from the Swiss canton of Aargau mention individuals bearing the surname Willimann as early as the 1500s. These records indicate that the name was well-established in the region by that time. The surname was prevalent in rural areas where it likely identified families who were the descendants of a man named William or Wilhelm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Hans Willimann, mentioned in a 1540 tax record from Aargau. Another early mention is of Peter Willimann, who appeared in a legal document in 1578 in the canton of Lucerne. These mentions solidify the presence of the name in Swiss historical records.
In the 17th century, Johann Georg Willimann, born in 1623 in Zurich, made notable contributions as a local magistrate and was involved in the administration of the city. His role and status would have highlighted the surname in regional historical accounts.
During the 18th century, the Willimann family name appeared in church registers and other official documents, including the birth and marriage records of Anna Maria Willimann, born in 1723 in Bern, who married a prominent local merchant.
Entering the 19th century, Johann Baptist Willimann, born in 1806, became known for his involvement in the Swiss Reformist movements. His political activities and writings were influential during a transformative period in Swiss history, enriching the legacy of the surname.
Throughout its history, the Willimann name has remained closely tied to the Swiss-German cultural and geographical context. It continues to be a surname of regional significance, linked to a heritage of local governance, commerce, and reformist politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willimann
Among Census respondents with the surname Willimann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Willimann 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 Willimann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willimann
Willimann appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 8,073 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 Willimann 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 | #159,712 | #151,639 | 5.1% |
| Count | 101 | 107 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willimann bearers went from 101 to 107 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 8,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #151,639.
FAQ
Willimann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willimann?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Willimann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Willimann?
Willimann ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Willimann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Willimann.
Has Willimann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willimann went from 101 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Willimann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willimann, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Willimann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willimann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Willimann (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 Willimann mean?
A locational surname originating from a place called Willi or Willingen. 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 Willimann (0.04 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 have the last name Willimann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Willimann at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.