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

Woolsey, 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 Woolsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woolsey in America

Woolsey is the 5049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woolsey surname appeared 6,949 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 Woolsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woolsey 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 Woolsey

The surname Woolsey is an English toponymic name derived from the Old English words 'wull' meaning wool and 'ey' meaning island, referring to an island where wool was traded or processed. The name originated in Dorset, England, during the medieval period.

Woolsey is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wulleseia, referring to the village of Woolsey in Dorset. The earliest known bearer of the name was Walter de Wulleseia, who was mentioned in records from the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Wollesye, Wollesy, and Wullesye. During this time, the Woolsey family held lands in Dorset and neighbouring counties. One notable member was Sir William Woolsey (c. 1260-1325), a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.

By the 14th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, including London and Essex. Records from this period mention individuals like John Wullesye (b. c. 1320) and Thomas Wollesey (b. c. 1350), both from Essex.

In the 15th century, the name was sometimes associated with the village of Woolsey in Oxfordshire, leading to variations like Wolsey and Wulcy. One famous bearer was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c. 1475-1530), an influential statesman and the Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII.

The 16th and 17th centuries saw the Woolsey name spread further across England, with families settling in counties like Yorkshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Woolsey (c. 1580-1645), a merchant and alderman in London, and Thomas Woolsey (c. 1620-1692), a Puritan minister in New England.

Other historical figures with the Woolsey surname include George Woolsey (1667-1728), a British naval officer and colonial governor of Virginia; Theodore Dwight Woolsey (1801-1889), an American scholar and president of Yale College; and Robert Woolsey (1888-1962), an American diplomat and the first Director of Central Intelligence under President Truman.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woolsey

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

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

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

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