2000
#3,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.39
Uncommon Last name
Willson
The son of William or Will, derived from a patronymic surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,295 Americans carry the last name Willson. That puts it at #3,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willson 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 Willson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,293
Census rank
#3,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,978 bearers of the surname Willson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willson
The Willson surname finds its origin in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It derives from the personal name Will, a diminutive of William, combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," meaning "son of." This construction was common in English naming practices, indicating lineage and family ties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Willson name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain Willelmus filius Willelmi (William, son of William) is mentioned. This entry suggests the surname's usage as a hereditary name during the 12th century.
Throughout the centuries, the Willson surname underwent various spelling variations, including Willson, Wilson, Wyllson, and Wilsone, reflecting the inconsistent nature of English orthography in earlier times. Many of these variations can be found in historical records, such as parish registers and tax rolls.
Notable individuals bearing the Willson surname include Sir Thomas Willson (1555-1629), an English naval commander who served under Sir Francis Drake and later became the Governor of the East India Company's factory in Surat, India. Another prominent figure was Edward Willson (1838-1899), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Physicians.
In Scotland, the Willson name has roots in the village of Wilston, located in Renfrewshire. This connection is exemplified by Sir Robert Willson (1612-1688), a Scottish merchant and landowner who acquired the estate of Muirhouses in East Lothian.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded Willsons in America was Reverend John Willson (1588-1676), an English clergyman who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 and became the first minister of Boston's First Church.
Other notable individuals with the Willson surname include James Willson (1763-1821), an American politician and judge who served as the 21st Governor of Virginia, and Sir James Willson Perovne (1817-1894), an English judge and legal writer who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
While the Willson surname may have originated from humble beginnings, its bearers have left their mark across various fields, from military and politics to architecture and literature, reflecting the diverse tapestry of human endeavors throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willson
Among Census respondents with the surname Willson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Willson 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 Willson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 7,432
- Black or African American6.9% · 617
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 393
- Two or more races3.8% · 338
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willson
Willson 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
#3,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,659
+505 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#3,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,978
-681 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,562 | 9,154 | 3.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,679 | 9,659 | 3.27 | +505 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #3,850 | 8,978 | 3.00 | -681 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 171 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 Willson 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 | #3,679 | #3,850 | -4.6% |
| Count | 9,659 | 8,978 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.27 | 3.00 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willson bearers went from 9,659 to 8,978 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,679 to #3,850.
FAQ
Willson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willson?
Name Census estimates that about 10,295 living Americans carry the surname Willson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,293 residents.
How common is Willson?
Willson ranks #3,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,978 people with the surname Willson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Willson.
Has Willson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willson went from 9,659 recorded bearers to 8,978. That is a decrease of 681 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,679 to #3,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Willson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Willson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (7,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (6.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Willson (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 Willson mean?
The son of William or Will, derived from a patronymic surname. 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 Willson (3.00 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 Willson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.