2000
#5,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,875
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Wingo
Derived from the Old English given name "Wine", meaning "friend", combined with the suffix "-go", denoting a descendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,516 Americans carry the last name Wingo. That puts it at #5,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wingo 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
6.5K
1 in 52,602
Census rank
#5,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,682 bearers of the surname Wingo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wingo
The surname Wingo has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wing," which referred to a meadow or field. Some experts suggest that the name may have been a locational surname, indicating someone who lived near a meadow or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wingo surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named Richard de Winge is mentioned. This spelling variation, "de Winge," indicates that the name was likely associated with a place name at the time.
The Wingo name appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in southwestern England during the medieval period. In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Wenge in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire, and a John de Winge in the Feet of Fines for Wiltshire.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve towards its modern form. In 1567, a baptismal record in Wiltshire mentions a child named John Wingo. This is one of the earliest instances of the surname being spelled as "Wingo."
Notable individuals with the Wingo surname include:
1. Thomas Wingo (1580-1645), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Pebworth in Gloucestershire.
2. William Wingo (1628-1701), an English landowner and businessman from Wiltshire.
3. Elizabeth Wingo (1670-1732), a prominent Quaker preacher from Gloucestershire.
4. John Wingo (1725-1793), an early American settler who established a homestead in Virginia.
5. Samuel Wingo (1780-1858), an American farmer and veteran of the War of 1812, born in North Carolina.
While the Wingo surname is not as common as some others, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its English origins and the linguistic roots of the Old English word "wing."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wingo
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wingo 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 Wingo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 3,949
- Black or African American20.7% · 1,174
- Two or more races5.3% · 300
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wingo
Wingo 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
#5,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,913
+38 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 397 places
2020
#5,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,682
-231 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,448 | 5,875 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,845 | 5,913 | 2.00 | +38 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 397 places |
| 2020 | #5,860 | 5,682 | 1.90 | -231 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 15 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 Wingo 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 | #5,845 | #5,860 | -0.3% |
| Count | 5,913 | 5,682 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.90 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wingo bearers went from 5,913 to 5,682 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,845 to #5,860.
FAQ
Wingo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wingo?
Name Census estimates that about 6,516 living Americans carry the surname Wingo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,602 residents.
How common is Wingo?
Wingo ranks #5,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,682 people with the surname Wingo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,516), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wingo.
Has Wingo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wingo went from 5,913 recorded bearers to 5,682. That is a decrease of 231 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,845 to #5,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Wingo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Wingo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (3,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wingo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (20.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Wingo (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 Wingo mean?
Derived from the Old English given name "Wine", meaning "friend", combined with the suffix "-go", denoting a descendant. 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 Wingo (1.90 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 people share the surname Wingo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.