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

Williams, 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 Williams surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Williams in America

Williams is the 63373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Williams surname appeared 315 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 Williams.

We can also compare 2010 data for Williams 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 Williams

The surname Willimas is a unique and relatively rare surname that likely finds its origins in medieval Europe, possibly within the British Isles. Its distinct spelling suggests a historical evolution from more common surnames. The name is believed to be a variant of Williams, which itself is derived from the given name William. William is of Germanic origin, composed of the elements "wil" meaning "will, desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet, protection".

Originally, surnames were less standardized and often adapted based on regional dialects, literacy levels, and transcriptions by officials. Willimas might have emerged from such variations. Historical records showing the earliest uses of surnames often include lists like the Domesday Book of 1086, though Willimas isn't specified in this document, variations could have existed orally before standardization in records was common.

One of the earliest recorded examples of a similar surname appears in a tax record from the early 14th century referring to a John Williames in Lancashire, England around 1327. Another early reference can be found in church records from the late 1500s, documenting the baptism of a Thomas Willimas in a parish near Birmingham in 1592.

The surname appears to have gained modest traction in certain areas in England and perhaps Wales. The Willimas family name is recorded in the will of Richard Willimas, a yeoman from Norfolk, whose death in 1654 left behind a detailed inventory of his possessions. Similarly, an Elizabeth Willimas appears in the guild records of Chester around 1670, revealing her as a landowner and society member.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the name appears in the context of migration, with James Willimas, born 1769, who emigrated to colonial America, settling in Pennsylvania by 1801. His descendants played a modest role in local communities, documented in various township records.

By the mid-19th century, Sarah Willimas, born 1821, gained some local notoriety in Derbyshire for her extensive charitable work, including the establishment of a small orphanage in 1875. This adds a layer of socio-cultural significance to the name, connecting it to humanitarian efforts.

While Willimas is less common compared to Williams, its appearances in historical records, though sparse, indicate pockets of presence in England and its colonies. The variations in spelling and regional adaptations emphasize the fluid and evolving nature of surnames in general.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Williams

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!