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

Wilsey, 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 Wilsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilsey in America

Wilsey is the 13967th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilsey surname appeared 2,159 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 Wilsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilsey 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 Wilsey

The surname Wilsey is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from a place name, possibly from the village of Wilsill in Lincolnshire or Wilsley in Derbyshire. These place names themselves are believed to come from the Old English words "wil" meaning a willow tree and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting that the original bearers of the name lived near a willow meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where a Walter de Willesleye is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in the late 13th century, which suggests that the Wilsey name was already established by that time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Willesly, Willsley, and Wilseley in parish records and other documents from counties like Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. This indicates the name's strong association with the East Midlands region of England.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Wilsford (c. 1545-1614), who was a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire and a prominent figure in the county. Although the spelling of his surname differs slightly, it is believed to be a variation of the same name.

Another early recorded example is John Wilsey, who was born in Nottinghamshire around 1590. His descendants are believed to have later migrated to the American colonies, helping to establish the name in the New World.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the East Midlands region, with individuals like Robert Wilsey (born c. 1620 in Derbyshire) and William Wilsey (born c. 1650 in Lincolnshire) being recorded.

One notable figure from later centuries was Charles Wilsey (1783-1863), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly in the early 19th century.

While the origins of the Wilsey surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly due to emigration from the British Isles in more recent centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilsey

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

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

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

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