2000
#1,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.19
Uncommon Last name
Wooten
Derived from the Old English words "wudu" and "tun," referring to someone who lived near or in a wooden town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,832 Americans carry the last name Wooten. That puts it at #1,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,131 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wooten 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 Wooten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,131
Census rank
#1,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,503 bearers of the surname Wooten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooten, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wooten
The surname Wooten is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning "wood" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded enclosure or settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Wooten can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties across England, including Essex, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Wudeton, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1261.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, there are references to individuals with the surname Wooten or similar spellings such as Wudeton, Wotton, and Wootton. These entries provide valuable insights into the geographic distribution of the name during that time period.
Throughout history, the surname Wooten has undergone various spelling variations, including Wootton, Wotton, and Wooton. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded the names.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Wooten was Sir Robert Wotton (c. 1463 - 1567), an English diplomat and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He served as the Lord Lieutenant of Kent and was known for his diplomatic missions to France and the Netherlands.
Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Wotton (1568 - 1639), an English author, diplomat, and courtier during the reigns of James I and Charles I. He is best known for his work as an ambassador to Venice and his famous quote, "An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the commonwealth."
In the literary world, Sir Henry Wotton's nephew, Edward Wotton (1592 - 1667), was a notable English writer and poet. He is remembered for his poems and translations of works by Italian and Spanish authors.
Another figure of historical significance was William Wootten (c. 1609 - 1685), a English-born settler and landowner in colonial Maryland. He was one of the original patentees of St. Mary's County and played a crucial role in the early development of the colony.
In the realm of religion, John Wooten (1782 - 1842) was an English Wesleyan Methodist minister and author. He served as the President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1834 and wrote several influential works on Methodism.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Wooten, showcasing its rich and diverse heritage across various fields and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wooten
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooten, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wooten 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 Wooten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 18,641
- Black or African American28.4% · 8,368
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,359
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 796
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 159
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wooten
Wooten 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
#1,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,249
+1,064 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.59
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#1,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,503
-1,746 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 9.87
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,060 | 30,185 | 11.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,123 | 31,249 | 10.59 | +1,064 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #1,172 | 29,503 | 9.87 | -1,746 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 49 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 Wooten 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 | #1,123 | #1,172 | -4.4% |
| Count | 31,249 | 29,503 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.59 | 9.87 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wooten bearers went from 31,249 to 29,503 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,123 to #1,172.
FAQ
Wooten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wooten?
Name Census estimates that about 33,832 living Americans carry the surname Wooten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,131 residents.
How common is Wooten?
Wooten ranks #1,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,503 people with the surname Wooten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Wooten.
Has Wooten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wooten went from 31,249 recorded bearers to 29,503. That is a decrease of 1,746 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,123 to #1,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Wooten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooten, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Wooten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (18,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wooten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (28.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Wooten (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 Wooten mean?
Derived from the Old English words "wudu" and "tun," referring to someone who lived near or in a wooden town. 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 Wooten (9.87 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 share the surname Wooten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.