2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wooler
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Northumberland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Wooler. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wooler 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 Wooler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Wooler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooler, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wooler
The surname Wooler is of English origin and appears to date back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have originated from geographical features or occupations, particularly linked to the wool trade, a significant industry in medieval England. The name could be a variant of the occupational term "wooler," meaning a worker or trader of wool, aligning with the importance of the wool trade in England's history.
The regions where the Wooler surname would likely have originated include areas known for wool production such as Yorkshire and East Anglia. Historically, the word “wool” in Old English is "wull," and the trade of wool was a central part of the economy. The suffix "-er" would denote someone who was engaged in the profession, making "Wooler" essentially mean wool trader or worker.
The earliest recorded references to the surname Wooler can be traced back to medieval records and manuscripts. For instance, the name is found in parish records and early tax rolls from the 14th century. One of these early mentions is in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Roger Woller is documented.
One area closely associated with the name is Wooler, a small town in Northumberland, England. The name of this town, which also has an association with wool production, could have influenced the adoption of the surname. The early spellings of the name could include "Woller" or "Wullere," reflecting phonetic variations in historical documents.
Notable individuals with the surname Wooler include William Wooler, a prominent 16th-century wool merchant based in London, who significantly contributed to the economy of the time. Another prominent figure is Thomas Wooler, a political radical born in 1786 and known for his role in the reform movements of the early 19th century. His work as a pamphleteer and social activist had a lasting impact on English political life.
In the arts, Ann Wooler, an actress born in 1897, appeared in numerous theatre productions in the early 20th century, reflecting the surname's spread beyond its occupational origins. William Wooler, a 17th-century clergyman from Lancashire, made substantial contributions to local religious and community life, illustrating the surname's presence in various professional fields.
A more tragic figure is Samuel Wooler, a sailor born in 1823 who perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Nova Scotia. His grave site in Halifax is a testament to the reach of the surname beyond England due to migration and maritime activity.
The name Wooler, with its deep roots in English occupational terminology linked to the wool trade, reflects both a geographical and professional history that underscores its historical significance and spread across different regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wooler
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooler, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wooler 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 Wooler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 8
- Two or more races5.7% · 7
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wooler
Wooler 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,385 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 3,385 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 3,616 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 Wooler 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 | #144,141 | #140,525 | 2.5% |
| Count | 115 | 122 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wooler bearers went from 115 to 122 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 3,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #140,525.
FAQ
Wooler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wooler?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Wooler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Wooler?
Wooler ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Wooler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Wooler.
Has Wooler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wooler went from 115 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 7 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Wooler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooler, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Wooler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wooler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (6.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Wooler (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 Wooler mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Northumberland. 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 Wooler (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 have the surname Wooler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.