2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Womersley
From the woods where elm trees grow, referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Womersley. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Womersley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Womersley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Womersley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Womersley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Womersley
The surname Womersley is of English origin and dates back to medieval times. It is a locational surname derived from a place name. The name is believed to originate from the village of Womersley in West Yorkshire, England. The village's name itself is derived from the Old English elements "wulfhere," a personal name meaning "wolf army," and "leah," meaning a clearing or meadow. Therefore, Womersley originally referred to a meadow or clearing associated with a person named Wulfhere.
The earliest recorded mention of Womersley is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed under the name "Wilmerslei." Over time, the spelling evolved, with variations such as "Wollomersley" and "Womarsley" appearing in historical records. These variations in spelling were typical in medieval England, as the standardization of English spelling had not yet occurred.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the surname Womersley is from the 14th century. In 1379, John Womersley is mentioned in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire. This indicates that the surname had already been established in the area by the late 14th century. Another early instance is William Womersley, who appears in the Yorkshire Subsidy Rolls of 1379.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, individuals bearing the Womersley surname continued to appear in various records. For example, Richard Womersley, born in 1588, is recorded as having lived in West Yorkshire. His descendant, also named Richard Womersley, born in 1620, served as a local official in the district.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, members of the Womersley family began to gain prominence in various professions. Samuel Womersley, born in 1764 and died in 1824, was a notable mill owner in West Yorkshire. His successful business contributed to the industrial growth of the region during the early Industrial Revolution.
Another prominent figure is John Womersley, born in 1896 and died in 1958, a distinguished British mathematician and computer scientist. He made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and worked for the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom. His work had a lasting impact on the development of early computers.
The surname Womersley is therefore deeply rooted in the history and geography of West Yorkshire, England. Its origins in the medieval village of Womersley highlight the importance of place in the formation of English surnames. Historical records, including the Domesday Book and various tax rolls, provide valuable insights into the early use and evolution of the surname. Notable individuals bearing the name have made significant contributions to various fields, further cementing the legacy of the Womersley surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Womersley
Among Census respondents with the surname Womersley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Womersley 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 Womersley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 104
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Womersley
Womersley appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 11,477 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 Womersley 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 | #157,234 | #145,757 | 7.3% |
| Count | 103 | 115 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Womersley bearers went from 103 to 115 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 11,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,757.
FAQ
Womersley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Womersley?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Womersley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Womersley?
Womersley ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Womersley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Womersley.
Has Womersley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Womersley went from 103 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 12 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Womersley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Womersley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Womersley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Womersley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (7.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Womersley (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 Womersley mean?
From the woods where elm trees grow, referring to a place name. 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 Womersley (0.04 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 are called Womersley?
Find out how common the surname Womersley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.