2000
#13,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Willits
Derived from a place name meaning "a place of willows" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,398 Americans carry the last name Willits. That puts it at #13,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willits 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 Willits with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,933
Census rank
#13,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,091 bearers of the surname Willits in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willits
The surname Willits originates from England, and its earliest known use can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wille," meaning willow tree, and "hyht," meaning a small hill or ridge. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a willow-covered hill or ridge.
One of the earliest known references to the Willits surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John de Wylyhughtes. This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
During the 14th century, the name was also documented in various records from the county of Gloucestershire, including the Assize Rolls from 1349, which mention a John Wylyhughtes. This indicates that the name was well-established in the region during that period.
In the 15th century, the Willits surname appeared in the Parish Registers of St. Michael's Church in Gloucester, with entries for individuals such as Thomas Willyghtes and Johanna Willyghtes, dated 1487 and 1498, respectively.
One notable figure with the Willits surname was Sir Thomas Willits (1560-1621), a renowned English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King James I.
Another prominent individual was Robert Willits (1677-1744), a British architect and surveyor who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
In the late 18th century, the Willits surname was also found in Scotland, with records showing a John Willits (1759-1835) who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Glasgow.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure was Benjamin Willits (1812-1893), an American businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania. He founded the Willits and Company manufacturing firm and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions.
In the field of literature, Anita Willits Burnham (1880-1958) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her works depicting rural life in New England.
Throughout its history, the Willits surname has been associated with various locations and place names, including Willits Hill in Gloucestershire, Willits Green in Hertfordshire, and the town of Willits in Mendocino County, California, which was likely named after an early settler with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willits
Among Census respondents with the surname Willits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Willits 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 Willits surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,886
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 83
- Two or more races3.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willits
Willits 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
#13,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
+60 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 643 places
2020
#13,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,091
-111 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,098 | 2,142 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,741 | 2,202 | 0.75 | +60 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 643 places |
| 2020 | #13,843 | 2,091 | 0.70 | -111 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 102 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 Willits 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 | #13,741 | #13,843 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,202 | 2,091 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.70 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willits bearers went from 2,202 to 2,091 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,741 to #13,843.
FAQ
Willits surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willits?
Name Census estimates that about 2,398 living Americans carry the surname Willits. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,933 residents.
How common is Willits?
Willits ranks #13,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,091 people with the surname Willits. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Willits.
Has Willits become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willits went from 2,202 recorded bearers to 2,091. That is a decrease of 111 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,741 to #13,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Willits?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willits, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Willits in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willits appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Willits (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 Willits mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "a place of willows" in Old English. 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 Willits (0.70 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 surname Willits?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.