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

Wolcott, 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 Wolcott surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolcott in America

Wolcott is the 6400th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolcott surname appeared 5,315 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wolcott.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolcott 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.

The history of the last name Wolcott

The surname Wolcott is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "Wulfscotan" meaning "the wolf's cottage or hut." It originated in the county of Shropshire, England, during the Anglo-Saxon period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wulfcotun." This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Wolcott, Woolcott, Wolcot, and Wolcotte. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.

In the 13th century, the Wolcott family held lands in Staffordshire, and their name is mentioned in various historical records from that period. One notable figure was Sir John Wolcott, who served as a member of Parliament for Staffordshire in 1295.

In the 16th century, Henry Wolcott (1578-1647) was a prominent English merchant and landowner. He played an essential role in the early settlement of Connecticut, where he sent his sons to establish a colony.

Roger Wolcott (1679-1767) was a colonial governor of Connecticut and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He descended from the Wolcott family that settled in Connecticut in the 17th century.

Another notable individual was Oliver Wolcott (1726-1797), who served as a military officer during the American Revolutionary War and later became the second United States Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.

In the 19th century, Edward Wolcott (1832-1905) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Colorado. He served as a United States Senator and played a significant role in the establishment of Colorado as a state.

The Wolcott surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Wolcott in Shropshire and Wolcott Hill in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolcott

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

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 Wolcott was:

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

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

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

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