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

Wilson, 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 Wilson surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Wilson in America

Wilson is the 114166th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilson surname appeared 142 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wilson.

The history of the last name Wilson

The surname Wilsom has its origins in England and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant of the more common surname Wilson. Wilson itself is a patronymic surname, derived from "Will" or "William", combined with the diminutive suffix "-son," thereby meaning "son of William." The name William was introduced to England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066 and became widely popular in the Middle Ages.

The earliest recordings of the variant Wilsom, though less common, appear in records from the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval spellings were not standardized, and variations depended on local dialects and scribes. Some of the early references to the Wilsom surname can be found in tax documents and local registrars in Northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire where the name Wilson had its stronghold.

One of the earliest individuals with the surname Wilsom recorded in historical documents is Thomas Wilsom, who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379. The name appears sporadically in various other documents throughout England, including the Court Rolls of the City of London in the 15th and 16th centuries.

In 1483, a Richard Wilsom is mentioned in the records of the Guild of the Holy Cross in Stratford-upon-Avon, indicating that the name was not confined to the North of England but had spread to other parts of the country. Fast forward to the 17th century, a John Wilsom served as a churchwarden in the town of Hertford, as per records dated 1642.

Another notable historical figure with the surname Wilsom was Edward Wilsom, a merchant based in the port city of Bristol in the early 18th century. Edward's trading activities contributed to the town's burgeoning status as a commercial hub. Records indicate that he was born in 1695 and died in 1743.

The Wilsom surname, though not as common as its counterpart Wilson, has also made its presence felt in academic circles. In the mid-19th century, Dr. Samuel Wilsom, born in 1822, was a prominent physician and author of several medical texts, contributing significantly to the field of medicine before his death in 1881.

An Agnes Wilsom was among the early migrants to the American colonies, arriving in the early 1700s and settling in Massachusetts. She played a crucial role in the establishment of one of the early settler communities. Historical letters and township records from the period between 1717-1753 offer glimpses into her life and contributions.

Overall, the surname Wilsom, though less frequently encountered than Wilson, has a rich history rooted in the English tradition. It has spanned several centuries and geographic regions, contributing to various fields and communities along the way.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilson

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wilson 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!