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 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilson in America

Wilson is the 14th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilson surname appeared 801,882 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 272 people would have the surname Wilson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilson 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 Wilson

The surname Wilson has its origins in England and Scotland, emerging during the medieval period. The name is an occupational surname derived from the Old English "Wil" and "sunu," meaning "son of Will." It initially referred to the son of someone named William or a variation thereof.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Wilsun." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings across England and provided a valuable record of surnames in use at the time.

As the name evolved, various spellings emerged, such as Wilsone, Willson, and Wylson. These variations reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Walter Wilsun, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1191, and Robert Wylson, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

The surname Wilson is also linked to several place names in England and Scotland. For instance, the parish of Wilsonton in Lanarkshire, Scotland, was once known as "Wilsoun's Town," suggesting a connection to an early settler or landowner with the name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Wilson. One of the most prominent was Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the 28th President of the United States, who served from 1913 to 1921. His administration oversaw the United States' involvement in World War I and played a crucial role in shaping the post-war international order.

Another famous bearer of the name was Robert Woodrow Wilson (1936-), an American physicist and Nobel laureate. He co-discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation in 1964, providing crucial evidence for the Big Bang theory and the origins of the universe.

In the literary realm, Sir Angus Wilson (1913-1991) was a prominent English novelist and short story writer, known for works such as "Anglo-Saxon Attitudes" and "The Old Men at the Zoo." He was also a renowned academic and served as a professor of English literature at the University of East Anglia.

The world of art also boasts notable figures with the surname Wilson. Richard Wilson (1714-1782) was a renowned Welsh landscape painter and one of the founders of the Royal Academy in London. His works were highly influential in the development of British landscape painting.

Another prominent figure was John Wilson (1785-1854), better known as Christopher North, a Scottish writer, and literary critic. He served as a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and was a prominent contributor to Blackwood's Magazine.

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 2010 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wilson 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 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.

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