2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Wilsonbrown
An English surname derived from the paternal line of Wilson combined with the maternal line of Brown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Wilsonbrown. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilsonbrown 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Wilsonbrown in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilsonbrown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.6%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilsonbrown
The surname Wilsonbrown has roots primarily in the British Isles, particularly in England and Scotland. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, a period notable for the solidification of surnames as identifiers across Europe. The surname appears to be a compound name, originated through the combination of two distinct surnames: Wilson and Brown.
Wilson is derived from the Old English patronymic naming convention, indicating "son of Wil," with Wil being a short form of William. William itself originates from the Norman form of the Germanic name Willahelm, composed of the elements "wil" meaning desire or will, and "helm" meaning helmet or protection. The surname Brown, on the other hand, has Old English and Old Norse roots, stemming from the word “brun,” which denotes the color brown, likely referring to someone with brown hair, complexion, or clothing.
Historical records indicate that both Wilson and Brown were prevalent surnames in medieval England. One of the earliest recorded instances of Wilson appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records in 1379 with individuals named Robertus Willeson and Johannes Wilsone. Similarly, the surname Brown appears in the Lancashire "Feet of Fines" from 1196, where an individual named Godwin Brun is mentioned. The compound form Wilsonbrown, however, is a later development and not found in these earliest records due to its dual-origin nature.
By the 17th century, the blending of surnames through marriage or for identification purposes became more common, likely giving rise to the surname Wilsonbrown. References to Wilsonbrown can be found in parish registers and legal documents from the late 18th and early 19th centuries in both England and Scotland. For instance, a notable historical mention is of Thomas Wilsonbrown, an agriculturalist from Northumberland, born in 1784.
One famous bearer of the surname is John Wilsonbrown, a prominent landowner and philanthropist in Edinburgh, born in 1802 and died in 1879. Another noteworthy individual is Helen Wilsonbrown, a suffragist and women's rights activist from Manchester, born in 1846 and died in 1913. Moving into the literary realm, Edward Wilsonbrown, born in 1891, was a recognized poet whose works flourished during the early 20th century.
In more recent historical context, Captain James Wilsonbrown, born in 1923 and died in 1991, was a decorated officer in the British Navy during World War II. His contributions to several naval battles were well-documented, and he played a pivotal role in post-war reconstruction efforts. The surname also graced the sciences with Dr. Amelia Wilsonbrown, a pioneering neurologist in the mid-20th century, born in 1930, whose research significantly advanced understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.
The surname Wilsonbrown embodies a rich historical fusion of two distinct yet deeply rooted names from the British Isles, reflecting a lineage that traverses several centuries and domains of influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilsonbrown
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilsonbrown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.6%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilsonbrown 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 Wilsonbrown surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.9% · 81
- White25.6% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 8
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilsonbrown
Wilsonbrown appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+19 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 17,123 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 Wilsonbrown 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 | #158,432 | #141,309 | 10.8% |
| Count | 102 | 121 | 18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilsonbrown bearers went from 102 to 121 (+18.6% change). The surname moved up 17,123 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #141,309.
FAQ
Wilsonbrown surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilsonbrown?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Wilsonbrown. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Wilsonbrown?
Wilsonbrown ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Wilsonbrown. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wilsonbrown.
Has Wilsonbrown become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilsonbrown went from 102 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 19 (+18.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilsonbrown?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilsonbrown, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.6%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Wilsonbrown in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.9% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilsonbrown appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.9%), White (25.6%), Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Wilsonbrown (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 Wilsonbrown mean?
An English surname derived from the paternal line of Wilson combined with the maternal line of Brown. 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 Wilsonbrown (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Wilsonbrown?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.