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

Wilmes, 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 Wilmes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilmes in America

Wilmes is the 14191st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilmes surname appeared 2,116 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 Wilmes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilmes 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 Wilmes

The surname WILMES originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Willehelm, which is composed of the elements wil meaning "will" or "desire" and helm meaning "helmet" or "protection." The name likely referred to a person with a strong will or determination.

WILMES is a variant spelling of the more common German surname Willms, which is found throughout northern and central Germany, particularly in regions like Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein. Early records show the surname spelled as Wilmes, Willmes, and Wilmelms, among other variations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WILMES can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in various church records and municipal archives from towns and cities across northern Germany.

Notable individuals with the surname WILMES include Johann Wilmes (1483-1552), a German lawyer and councilor to the Duke of Cleves; Henrich Wilmes (1567-1633), a German theologian and author; and Anna Wilmes (1704-1778), a German philanthropist known for her charitable work in the city of Münster.

In the 19th century, the name WILMES gained prominence with the birth of Wilhelm Wilmes (1842-1923), a German industrialist and founder of the Wilmes Brauerei, a successful brewery in the city of Dortmund. Another notable figure was Karl Wilmes (1872-1949), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.

Other individuals with the surname WILMES include Hans Wilmes (1906-1981), a German artist known for his expressionist paintings; Joachim Wilmes (born 1939), a German chess grandmaster; and Karin Wilmes (born 1961), a German actress and television presenter.

While the surname WILMES is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through emigration and migration. However, the name's origins and historical roots can be traced back to its Germanic beginnings in medieval Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilmes

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

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

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

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