2000
#12,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Windom
Derived from a place name meaning "Wina's estate" in Old English, referring to a settlement associated with someone called Wina.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,717 Americans carry the last name Windom. That puts it at #12,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Windom 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
2.7K
1 in 126,152
Census rank
#12,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,369 bearers of the surname Windom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Windom, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Windom
The surname Windom originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wind" meaning "wind" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "mound." The name likely referred to someone who lived on a windy hill or a person from a place with a windy hill.
The earliest known record of the name Windom appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Winedun." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Wyndedon" in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1230. This spelling variation reflects the evolution of the name over time.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Windom was Richard de Wyndedon, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275.
The name Windom is also associated with several place names in England, such as Windom in Derbyshire and Windom Hill in Gloucestershire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Windom include:
1. William Windom (1923-2012), an American actor known for his roles in television shows such as "The Farmer's Daughter" and "Star Trek."
2. John Windom (1831-1907), an American politician who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury under President James A. Garfield.
3. Elizabeth Windom (1874-1952), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American West.
4. Robert Windom (1577-1636), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
5. Sir Thomas Windom (1545-1611), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
While the surname Windom is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been associated with various notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Windom
Among Census respondents with the surname Windom, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Windom 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 Windom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.1% · 1,258
- White36.6% · 868
- Two or more races5.7% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Windom
Windom appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,528
+233 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 109 places
2020
#12,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,369
-159 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,405 | 2,295 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,296 | 2,528 | 0.86 | +233 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 109 places |
| 2020 | #12,497 | 2,369 | 0.79 | -159 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 201 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 Windom 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 | #12,296 | #12,497 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,528 | 2,369 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Windom bearers went from 2,528 to 2,369 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,296 to #12,497.
FAQ
Windom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Windom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,717 living Americans carry the surname Windom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,152 residents.
How common is Windom?
Windom ranks #12,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,369 people with the surname Windom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,717), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Windom.
Has Windom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Windom went from 2,528 recorded bearers to 2,369. That is a decrease of 159 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,296 to #12,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Windom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Windom, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Windom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.1% (1,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Windom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.1%), White (36.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Windom (2000, 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 Windom mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Wina's estate" in Old English, referring to a settlement associated with someone called Wina. 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 Windom (0.79 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 Windom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.