2000
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,828
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Wilmes
Derived from a German personal name composed of the elements wil, meaning "will" or "desire," and helm, meaning "helmet."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,357 Americans carry the last name Wilmes. That puts it at #14,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilmes 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,420
Census rank
#14,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,055 bearers of the surname Wilmes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WILMES can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilmes
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilmes 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 Wilmes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,933
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- Two or more races2.3% · 48
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilmes
Wilmes 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
#14,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
+288 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 671 places
2020
#14,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
-61 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,862 | 1,828 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,191 | 2,116 | 0.72 | +288 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 671 places |
| 2020 | #14,034 | 2,055 | 0.69 | -61 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 157 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 Wilmes 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 | #14,191 | #14,034 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,116 | 2,055 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilmes bearers went from 2,116 to 2,055 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,191 to #14,034.
FAQ
Wilmes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilmes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,357 living Americans carry the surname Wilmes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,420 residents.
How common is Wilmes?
Wilmes ranks #14,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,055 people with the surname Wilmes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Wilmes.
Has Wilmes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilmes went from 2,116 recorded bearers to 2,055. That is a decrease of 61 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,191 to #14,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilmes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wilmes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilmes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wilmes (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 Wilmes mean?
Derived from a German personal name composed of the elements wil, meaning "will" or "desire," and helm, meaning "helmet." 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 Wilmes (0.69 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 Wilmes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Wilmes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.