Wing last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wing

An occupational surname referring to a person who was employed as a maker or seller of wine.

Wing, 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 Wing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wing in America

Wing is the 2858th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wing surname appeared 12,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wing 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2858 2670 6.80%
Count 12,614 12,453 1.28%
Proportion per 100k 4.28 4.62 -7.64%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wing

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

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 Wing was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 82.15% 10,362
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.81% 481
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 6.89% 869
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.60% 202
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.77% 349
Hispanic Origin 2.78% 351

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 Wing has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 82.15% 82.98% -1.01%
Black 3.81% 3.97% -4.11%
Asian and Pacific Islander 6.89% 7.08% -2.72%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.60% 1.45% 9.84%
Two or More Races 2.77% 2.36% 15.98%
Hispanic 2.78% 2.16% 25.10%

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Wing last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wing-surname-popularity/.

"Wing last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wing-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 October, 2024

Wing last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wing-surname-popularity/.

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