2000
#1,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.39
Uncommon Last name
Wills
Derived from the personal name Will, a shortened form of William, meaning "resolute protector" or "strong-willed warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,936 Americans carry the last name Wills. That puts it at #1,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,079 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wills 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 Wills with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,079
Census rank
#1,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,978 bearers of the surname Wills in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wills, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wills
The surname Wills originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name, derived from the old English word 'wille', meaning a desire or wish. The name likely referred to someone who drafted or witnessed wills and other legal documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled 'Wille'. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of 'Wills'. In 1273, a Roger Wills is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. The Hundred Rolls were a census-like survey conducted in England during this period.
Over the following centuries, the Wills name spread across various counties in England, including Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Some early bearers of the name were likely associated with religious institutions or the legal profession.
One notable figure bearing the Wills name was William Wills (c. 1370-1428), a Chancellor of the University of Oxford in the early 15th century. Another was Thomas Wills (1515-1573), a Church of England clergyman who served as the Bishop of Tenos and Mykonos.
In the 16th century, the Wills name appears in various place names across England, such as Willsborough in Wiltshire and Willsbridge in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Wills surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Moving into the 17th century, we find Samuel Wills (1590-1639), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works. A century later, there was William Wills (1700-1776), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire.
As the British Empire expanded, the Wills name spread to other parts of the world. One notable example is William John Wills (1834-1861), an English explorer who took part in the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition across Australia.
Throughout its history, the Wills surname has been borne by numerous individuals from various walks of life, reflecting its origins as an occupational name associated with the legal profession and document drafting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wills
Among Census respondents with the surname Wills, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wills 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 Wills surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 19,782
- Black or African American17.3% · 4,674
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,222
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 966
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 216
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wills
Wills 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
#1,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,219
+183 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 9.57
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,978
-1,241 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 9.03
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,143 | 28,036 | 10.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,244 | 28,219 | 9.57 | +183 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,277 | 26,978 | 9.03 | -1,241 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 33 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 Wills 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 | #1,244 | #1,277 | -2.7% |
| Count | 28,219 | 26,978 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 9.57 | 9.03 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wills bearers went from 28,219 to 26,978 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,244 to #1,277.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wills
FAQ
Wills surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wills?
Name Census estimates that about 30,936 living Americans carry the surname Wills. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,079 residents.
How common is Wills?
Wills ranks #1,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,978 people with the surname Wills. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Wills.
Has Wills become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wills went from 28,219 recorded bearers to 26,978. That is a decrease of 1,241 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,244 to #1,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Wills?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wills, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wills in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (19,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wills appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wills (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 Wills mean?
Derived from the personal name Will, a shortened form of William, meaning "resolute protector" or "strong-willed warrior." 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 Wills (9.03 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 Wills?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Wills at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.