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

Wilmer, 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 Wilmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilmer in America

Wilmer is the 13622nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilmer surname appeared 2,224 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wilmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilmer 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 Wilmer

The surname Wilmer has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning "willow" and "mere" meaning "lake" or "pool." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a willow-fringed lake or pool.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a mention of a landowner named "Wlmarus" in Gloucestershire. This is likely one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilmer or a variation thereof.

The name Wilmer can also be traced back to the village of Wilmere in Hertfordshire, which was mentioned in records as early as the 13th century. This place name is thought to have influenced the development of the surname in that region.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Wilmer was John Wilmer, born around 1350 in Broughton, Buckinghamshire. Another notable figure was William Wilmer, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Dean of Norwich Cathedral from 1608 to 1617.

In the 17th century, James Wilmer (1585-1641), an English politician and landowner, was a member of the House of Commons representing Nottingham. His son, William Wilmer (1621-1686), was a notable Puritan minister who fled to Virginia during the English Civil War.

A prominent figure in American history with the surname Wilmer was William Holland Wilmer (1782-1827), an Episcopal bishop in Virginia and the first President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Throughout its history, the Wilmer surname has seen various spellings, including Willmere, Wilmere, and Wylmere, reflecting the regional variations and changes in language over time. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its connection to its English roots and the geographic features that inspired its origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilmer

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

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

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

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