2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Woolls
A locational surname derived from one of several places in England named Woolls or Wools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Woolls. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woolls 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 Woolls with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Woolls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolls, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woolls
The surname Woolls has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is predominantly found in the counties of Kent and Sussex during the 14th and 15th centuries. The name likely derives from the Old English word "wull," meaning wool, indicating a connection to the wool trade or a characteristic of the individual. Variations in spelling over time include Wolles, Wollis, and Wulles.
One of the earliest known references to the Woolls surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a John Wolles is recorded. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records used to raise money for military campaigns, providing a glimpse into the economic activities and societal roles of individuals bearing the name. The association with wool may imply that the Woolls family were either merchants, shepherds, or involved in the textile industry.
In 1379, the Poll Tax records for Yorkshire list one William Wolles, further evidence of the early distribution and professional association of the name. These tax records were used to track taxable individuals and their occupations. The recurrence of this surname in records tied to trade and taxation suggests a robust presence in economic activities, especially those related to wool.
The Early English dictionaries of the 16th century denote the term "wull" in various forms, offering insight into how such occupational surnames developed. By the 17th century, the Woolls surname shows up in parish records, with the marriage of Thomas Woolls to Mary Johnson in 1643 in Kent, highlighting the continuity and spread of the name within England.
In the 18th century, members of the Woolls family emigrated to other parts of the British Empire. Joseph Woolls (1725-1798), a noted figure, moved to the American colonies and became a prominent merchant in Philadelphia. His business acumen and contributions to the local economy mark one of the significant historical points for the Woolls surname outside England.
Another notable individual is Reverend William Woolls (1814-1893), an Australian botanist and clergyman originally from Winchester, England. He emigrated to Australia in 1832, where he made significant contributions to botanical science and education. His works and extensive writings on Australian flora have left a lasting legacy, emphasizing the global spread and influence of the Woolls family name.
The Woolls surname also appears in literary history, with Henry Woolls (1794-1860), an English poet writing in the Romantic era. His works, often reflective of the pastoral and rural life, subtly pay homage to his presumed heritage tied to the wool and agrarian landscapes of England.
From medieval tax records to literary allusions, the history of the surname Woolls is intertwined with the economic and social fabrics of English society. Each recorded individual and subsequent migration trace the enduring legacy of a name deeply rooted in the trades and traditions of its ancestral origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woolls
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolls, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Woolls 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 Woolls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woolls
Woolls 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 887 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 Woolls 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 | #145,028 | -0.6% |
| Count | 115 | 116 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woolls bearers went from 115 to 116 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 887 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,028.
FAQ
Woolls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woolls?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Woolls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Woolls?
Woolls ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Woolls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Woolls.
Has Woolls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woolls went from 115 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Woolls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolls, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Woolls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woolls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Black (4.3%). 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 Woolls (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 Woolls mean?
A locational surname derived from one of several places in England named Woolls or Wools. 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 Woolls (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 Americans have the surname Woolls?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.