2000
#216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 46.57
Common Last name
Willis
An English surname derived from the Norman French personal name William, meaning "resolute protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143,481 Americans carry the last name Willis. That puts it at #242 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 41.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willis 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 Willis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
143K
1 in 2,389
Census rank
#242
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
41.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125,122 bearers of the surname Willis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 41.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 242nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willis, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willis
The surname Willis has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English personal name "Will," a diminutive form of the name William, which means "resolute protector." The suffix "-is" was added to indicate "son of," forming the patronymic surname Willis, meaning "son of Will."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Willis can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which mentions a Nicholas Wyllis. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a John Wylis is listed. These early spellings, such as "Wyllis" and "Wylis," demonstrate the evolution of the name from its Old English roots.
The Willis surname is closely linked to various place names in England, particularly in counties like Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. For example, the village of Willis in Buckinghamshire likely derived its name from the Willis family, who were once prominent landowners in the area.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Willis throughout history are:
1. Thomas Willis (1621-1675), an English physician and anatomist known for his pioneering work in neurology and the study of the brain.
2. Nathaniel Parker Willis (1806-1867), an American author, poet, and editor who co-founded the New York Mirror literary journal.
3. Connie Willis (born 1945), an American science fiction writer and multiple Hugo and Nebula award winner, best known for works like "Doomsday Book" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog."
4. Gaye Willis (1911-1972), an Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives.
5. Bruce Willis (born 1955), the renowned American actor known for his roles in films such as "Die Hard," "Pulp Fiction," and "The Sixth Sense."
Throughout the centuries, the Willis surname has been well-established in various regions of England, particularly in the southern and central counties. It has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and has become a recognizable surname in countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willis
Among Census respondents with the surname Willis, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Willis 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 Willis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 74,538
- Black or African American30.3% · 37,896
- Two or more races5.0% · 6,233
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,127
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 1,463
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 865
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willis
Willis 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
#230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130,152
+4,525 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 44.12
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,122
-5,030 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 41.86
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #216 | 125,627 | 46.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #230 | 130,152 | 44.12 | +4,525 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #242 | 125,122 | 41.86 | -5,030 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12 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 Willis 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 | #230 | #242 | -5.2% |
| Count | 130,152 | 125,122 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 44.12 | 41.86 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willis bearers went from 130,152 to 125,122 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #230 to #242.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Willis
FAQ
Willis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willis?
Name Census estimates that about 143,481 living Americans carry the surname Willis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,389 residents.
How common is Willis?
Willis ranks #242 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 41.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 125,122 people with the surname Willis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143,481), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 41.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 41.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Willis.
Has Willis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willis went from 130,152 recorded bearers to 125,122. That is a decrease of 5,030 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #230 to #242.
What does the Census say about the background of Willis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willis, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Willis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (74,538 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (30.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Willis (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 Willis mean?
An English surname derived from the Norman French personal name William, meaning "resolute protector." 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 Willis (41.86 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 Americans have the surname Willis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.