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

Wilmoth, 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 Wilmoth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilmoth in America

Wilmoth is the 6516th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilmoth surname appeared 5,205 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wilmoth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilmoth 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 Wilmoth

The surname Wilmoth is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from the village of Willmoteswick or Wilmoteswick, which was located in the county of Norfolk. The name is a combination of the Old English words "will" meaning "willow" and "moth" meaning "moth" or "moot" meaning "meeting place." This suggests that the original place name may have referred to a willow tree or a location where meetings were held.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wilmoth can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, where a person named Robert de Wilmoteswic was listed. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also mention a Thomas Wilmot. It is possible that these early spellings were variants of the same surname.

In the 14th century, the surname Wilmoth appeared in various records across different counties in England. For instance, the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 listed a John Wylmote, while the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1384 mentioned a Thomas Wilmot. These records provide evidence of the widespread distribution of the surname during that time period.

One notable individual with the surname Wilmoth was Sir Edward Wilmot (1693-1786), a British lawyer and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. Another was John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), an English poet and courtier of King Charles II's reign, known for his satirical and often bawdy works.

Other historical figures bearing the surname include Robert Wilmot-Horton (1784-1841), an English politician and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Ceylon, and Sir Sackville Wilmot (1675-1742), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.

While the surname Wilmoth is relatively uncommon today, it has a long and rich history that can be traced back to its origins in medieval England, with various spellings and variations appearing in historical records across different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilmoth

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

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

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

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