2000
#12,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Wilmore
Derived from a place name meaning "lake by a spring" or "spring by a bog" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,449 Americans carry the last name Wilmore. That puts it at #13,589 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilmore 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 Wilmore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 139,957
Census rank
#13,589
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,136 bearers of the surname Wilmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13589th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilmore
The surname Wilmore has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the place name Willmoor or Wilmoor, which referred to a settlement located on or near a moor or marshy area.
The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "willa" or "will," meaning willow, and "mor," meaning moor or marsh. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in an area characterized by willow trees and marshy terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilmore can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "de Wilmor." This indicates that the name was in use by that time and likely originated in the region of Staffordshire.
In the 13th century, the name is documented in various forms, such as "Willemor," "Willemora," and "Wylmor," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in medieval times.
Notable individuals with the surname Wilmore include:
1. Sir Robert Wilmore (c. 1585-1643), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
2. John Wilmore (c. 1610-1672), an English clergyman and Puritan divine who served as the Rector of Ringwood in Hampshire.
3. Elizabeth Wilmore (1696-1773), a prominent Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, known for her spiritual writings and travels.
4. William Wilmore (1749-1823), an English sculptor and engraver who worked in London and was celebrated for his portrait busts and monuments.
5. James Wilmore (1821-1896), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded Wilmore, Kentucky, and helped establish Asbury College (now Asbury University) in the town.
The name Wilmore has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wilmore Green in Hertfordshire and Wilmore Hill in Herefordshire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilmore 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 Wilmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.6% · 1,145
- White35.1% · 750
- Two or more races6.0% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilmore
Wilmore 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
#12,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+130 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 303 places
2020
#13,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,136
-261 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,539 | 2,267 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,842 | 2,397 | 0.81 | +130 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 303 places |
| 2020 | #13,589 | 2,136 | 0.71 | -261 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 747 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 Wilmore 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 | #12,842 | #13,589 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,397 | 2,136 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.71 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilmore bearers went from 2,397 to 2,136 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 747 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,842 to #13,589.
FAQ
Wilmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilmore?
Name Census estimates that about 2,449 living Americans carry the surname Wilmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,957 residents.
How common is Wilmore?
Wilmore ranks #13,589 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,136 people with the surname Wilmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Wilmore.
Has Wilmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilmore went from 2,397 recorded bearers to 2,136. That is a decrease of 261 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,842 to #13,589.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilmore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wilmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.6% (1,145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.6%), White (35.1%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Wilmore (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 Wilmore mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lake by a spring" or "spring by a bog" in Old English. 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 Wilmore (0.71 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 Wilmore?
Find out how many people are called Wilmore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.