2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wingers
A surname derived from the occupation or trade of a maker of wings or winnows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Wingers. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wingers 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Wingers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wingers
The surname Wingers finds its origins in medieval England, predominantly in regions like Norfolk and Suffolk. The name likely emerged during the 12th century when surnames began to stabilize and become inherited. It is theorized that Wingers derives from Middle English terms such as winge, which referred to someone who lived near or worked with wings, potentially indicating a connection to birds or a place resembling wings.
The earliest known appearance of the name Wingers can be traced to parish records and manorial rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable early reference points to a William Winger in a 1273 Norfolk record, suggesting the name's establishment in the region. Similarly, a Richard Winger is documented in a Suffolk tax roll from 1327. These records were vital in chronicling land ownership and levies during a time when surnames were often descriptive of occupation, location, or physical traits.
A fascinating historical reference includes the Wingers family appearing in the Poll Tax records of 1381, where a John Winger is listed among names in Norfolk. This documentation not only reinforces the regional presence of the surname but also gives insight into family structures and societal standings during post-Black Death England.
In addition to local records, place names such as Wingrave in Buckinghamshire share etymological roots with Wingers, stemming from Old English elements indicative of habitation by a notable feature like a winged hill or promontory. While not directly linked, these linguistic parallels highlight how topographical elements influenced early naming conventions.
Famous bearers of the name include Thomas Winger, an influential figure in the 15th century known for his roles in local governance in Suffolk, and Ann Winger, born in 1623, who was a significant figure in early American colonial history upon her migration to Massachusetts. Another notable Winger is the 19th-century English painter Edward Winger, whose works were celebrated during the Victorian era and contributed significantly to landscape art.
The medieval era also saw the name evolve in spelling, with variations such as Winger and Wangers appearing in different records. Each variation held similar phonetic qualities, indicating regional dialectical influences rather than a change in meaning or lineage.
As surnames began to spread and evolve, the Wingers name appeared more frequently in historical texts, preservation rolls, and legal documents, painting a picture of a family deeply integrated into the agrarian and later mercantile fabric of English society. These historical notes, bearing references across centuries, offer a rich tapestry of the Wingers surname, from its English roots to its transatlantic dispersion into America and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wingers
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wingers 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 Wingers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wingers
Wingers 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-17 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,442 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 25,442 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Wingers 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wingers bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Wingers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wingers?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Wingers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Wingers?
Wingers ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Wingers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wingers.
Has Wingers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wingers went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Wingers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Wingers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wingers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Black (1.9%). 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 Wingers (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 Wingers mean?
A surname derived from the occupation or trade of a maker of wings or winnows. 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 Wingers (0.03 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 Wingers?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Wingers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.