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

Wiltse, 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 Wiltse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiltse in America

Wiltse is the 14105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiltse surname appeared 2,131 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 Wiltse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiltse 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 Wiltse

The surname WILTSE originates from the Netherlands, specifically the province of Friesland. It is derived from the Dutch words "wilte" meaning "to wilt" and "see" meaning "lake," likely referring to a geographic location where the surname originated. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Wiltsee" in the 17th century.

The name WILTSE can be traced back to the village of Wiltse, located near the town of Leeuwarden in Friesland. This village was mentioned in historical records dating back to the 13th century, suggesting that the surname may have existed even earlier. The name was also found in the Dutch census records of the late 16th century, indicating its widespread use at that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname WILTSE was Jan Wiltsee, born in Leeuwarden in 1612. He was a merchant and trader who traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Netherlands. Another notable figure was Pieter Wiltse, born in 1685, who was a prominent member of the Dutch Reformed Church in the city of Haarlem.

In the 18th century, several members of the WILTSE family emigrated to the American colonies, particularly in the areas of New York and New Jersey. One such individual was Johannes Wiltse, born in 1725 in Friesland, who settled in Dutchess County, New York, in the mid-1700s. His descendants went on to become influential members of the local community.

During the American Revolutionary War, a soldier named Hendrick Wiltse served in the Continental Army under General George Washington. He was born in 1748 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the WILTSE surname was Reverend John Wiltse, born in 1798 in New Jersey. He was a respected Presbyterian minister and served as the president of the Newton Theological Institution in Massachusetts from 1839 to 1857.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiltse

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

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

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

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