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

Wilton, 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 Wilton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilton in America

Wilton is the 10260th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilton surname appeared 3,141 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 Wilton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilton 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 Wilton

The surname Wilton originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Wilton, which means "wood town" or "village among the willows." The name likely originated in one of the various towns and villages called Wilton in counties such as Wiltshire, Somerset, and Yorkshire.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wilton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Wiltune. This entry refers to a settlement in Wiltshire, suggesting that some of the earliest bearers of the surname may have hailed from this region.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wilton was Sir John Wilton (c. 1330 - c. 1400), a prominent English knight and landowner from Wiltshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1379 and 1388.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Richard Wilton (c. 1450 - 1520), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of London from 1506 until his death. He was a prominent figure in the early years of the English Reformation.

In the 16th century, the name Wilton was associated with the town of Wilton in Wiltshire, which was renowned for its thriving wool and carpet industry. One of the town's most famous residents was John Wilton (c. 1550 - 1611), a skilled carpet weaver who is credited with introducing the art of Turkish carpet weaving to England.

During the 17th century, the surname Wilton was also found in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas Wilton (c. 1620 - 1686), who settled in Virginia in the 1640s and became a prominent landowner and planter.

Another notable figure with the surname Wilton was Joseph Wilton (1722 - 1803), an English sculptor and artist who was highly regarded for his neoclassical works. He was the founder of the Royal Academy of Arts in London and served as the Academy's first Keeper.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilton

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

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

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

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