2000
#5,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Wolcott
From a place name meaning "cottage by a wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,929 Americans carry the last name Wolcott. That puts it at #6,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolcott 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
5.9K
1 in 57,810
Census rank
#6,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,170 bearers of the surname Wolcott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolcott
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolcott 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 Wolcott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 4,682
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 216
- Two or more races3.2% · 168
- Black or African American1.0% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolcott
Wolcott 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
#6,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,315
+8 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#6,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,170
-145 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,974 | 5,307 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,400 | 5,315 | 1.80 | +8 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #6,323 | 5,170 | 1.73 | -145 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 77 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 Wolcott 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 | #6,400 | #6,323 | 1.2% |
| Count | 5,315 | 5,170 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.73 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolcott bearers went from 5,315 to 5,170 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,400 to #6,323.
FAQ
Wolcott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolcott?
Name Census estimates that about 5,929 living Americans carry the surname Wolcott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,810 residents.
How common is Wolcott?
Wolcott ranks #6,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 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 5,170 people with the surname Wolcott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 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 Wolcott.
Has Wolcott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolcott went from 5,315 recorded bearers to 5,170. That is a decrease of 145 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,400 to #6,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolcott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wolcott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (4,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolcott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wolcott (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 Wolcott mean?
From a place name meaning "cottage by a wood" in Old English. 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 Wolcott (1.73 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 Americans have the surname Wolcott?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.