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

Willingham, 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 Willingham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Willingham in America

Willingham is the 2814th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Willingham surname appeared 12,818 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Willingham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Willingham 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 Willingham

The surname Willingham is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the medieval period, specifically during the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the place name Willingham, which is found in several locations across England, including Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk.

The name Willingham itself is a combination of two Old English words: "willan" meaning "willow" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a willow tree or in a village surrounded by willow trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Willingham can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Richard de Willingham is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, indicating its long-standing history in the region.

The surname Willingham has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Ralph Willingham, who served as a Member of Parliament for Steyning, Sussex, in 1324. Another prominent figure was William Willingham, who was a member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Reverend Ralph Willingham (1719-1790) was a notable English clergyman and author, best known for his work "A Body of Divinity" published in 1780. Another notable Willingham was Sir Thomas Willingham (1753-1822), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his service.

Moving into the 19th century, Willingham F. Merrick (1834-1899) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland. In the field of literature, Calder Willingham (1922-1995) was an American novelist and screenwriter known for works such as "End as a Man" and the screenplay for the film "The Graduate."

Throughout its history, the surname Willingham has also been associated with various place names, such as Willingham Green in Cambridgeshire and Willingham-by-Stow in Lincolnshire. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the villages or settlements where willow trees were prominent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Willingham

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

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

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

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