2000
#2,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Wing
An occupational surname referring to a person who was employed as a maker or seller of wine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,705 Americans carry the last name Wing. That puts it at #2,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,009 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wing 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wing with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,009
Census rank
#2,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,951 bearers of the surname Wing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wing, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wing
The surname WING is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "wing" meaning a wing or projection of a building. It first appeared in records during the late 12th century.
The name is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived in a house or building with a projecting wing or side portion. It may have also referred to someone who lived near a prominent wing-shaped landmark or feature.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name WING can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where it appeared as "de Wynge" and "de Winge". This suggests the name was initially a locative one, denoting someone from a place called Wing or Winge.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the WING surname, but it does mention several places with similar names, such as Wingrave in Buckinghamshire and Wing in Rutland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the WING surname was Richard de Winge, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1208. Another early example is William de Winge, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the WING surname. One of the most famous was Vincent Wing (1619-1668), an English astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
Another prominent figure was Tyrell Wing (1809-1886), an English cricketer who played for the Cambridge University and Hampshire cricket teams in the mid-19th century.
In the literary world, Mary Wing (1868-1944) was an American writer and poet who published several collections of poems and children's books in the early 20th century.
In the realm of politics, John Wing Jr. (1662-1732) was a prominent American merchant and politician who served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the early 18th century.
Lastly, Wing Ding (1901-1984), born George Wing, was a Native American artist and painter known for his vibrant depictions of traditional Navajo life and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wing
Among Census respondents with the surname Wing, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wing 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 Wing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 9,563
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 761
- Two or more races4.9% · 583
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 477
- Black or African American3.1% · 373
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 194
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wing
Wing 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
#2,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,614
+161 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#2,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,951
-663 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,670 | 12,453 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,858 | 12,614 | 4.28 | +161 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #2,947 | 11,951 | 4.00 | -663 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 89 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 Wing 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 | #2,858 | #2,947 | -3.1% |
| Count | 12,614 | 11,951 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.28 | 4.00 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wing bearers went from 12,614 to 11,951 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,858 to #2,947.
FAQ
Wing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wing?
Name Census estimates that about 13,705 living Americans carry the surname Wing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,009 residents.
How common is Wing?
Wing ranks #2,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,951 people with the surname Wing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wing.
Has Wing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wing went from 12,614 recorded bearers to 11,951. That is a decrease of 663 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,858 to #2,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Wing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wing, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (9,563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Wing (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 Wing mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who was employed as a maker or seller of wine. 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 Wing (4.00 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 common is the surname Wing?
See how many people have the last name Wing on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.