2000
#14,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Wootton
From a place name meaning "settlement in a wooded area" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,370 Americans carry the last name Wootton. That puts it at #13,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wootton 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 Wootton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,622
Census rank
#13,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,067 bearers of the surname Wootton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wootton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wootton
The surname Wootton originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from any of the several places called Wootton scattered across various counties, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Staffordshire. The name itself is derived from the Old English words "wudu" meaning wood and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, indicating that the original bearers of this name hailed from a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Wootton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wodtune" in reference to a settlement in Hampshire. This demonstrates the longevity and historical significance of the name.
An early bearer of the name was Sir Robert de Wootton, who was born in Northamptonshire in the late 12th century and served as a prominent knight during the reign of King John. Another notable figure was Thomas Wootton, a 16th-century English painter who was born in Wootton, Oxfordshire, around 1497 and was renowned for his portraiture.
During the 13th century, the name Wootton was also associated with a place in Staffordshire, which was recorded as "Wottone" in historical documents from that time. This further highlights the connection between the surname and various place names across England.
In the 17th century, John Wootton, born around 1670 in Oxfordshire, became a respected portrait painter and was appointed as a painter to the British Crown. His works can be found in prestigious collections, including those of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Another significant individual bearing the Wootton surname was William Wootton, a prominent English architect who lived in the 18th century. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Shire Hall in Chelmsford, Essex, and the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford.
These examples demonstrate the historical significance and prevalence of the surname Wootton, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, artists, and architects, over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wootton
Among Census respondents with the surname Wootton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wootton 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 Wootton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,861
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 94
- Two or more races3.2% · 66
- Black or African American1.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wootton
Wootton 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
#13,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,225
+304 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 686 places
2020
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,067
-158 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,302 | 1,921 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,616 | 2,225 | 0.75 | +304 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 686 places |
| 2020 | #13,967 | 2,067 | 0.69 | -158 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 351 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 Wootton 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 | #13,616 | #13,967 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,225 | 2,067 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.69 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wootton bearers went from 2,225 to 2,067 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 351 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,616 to #13,967.
FAQ
Wootton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wootton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,370 living Americans carry the surname Wootton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,622 residents.
How common is Wootton?
Wootton ranks #13,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,067 people with the surname Wootton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wootton.
Has Wootton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wootton went from 2,225 recorded bearers to 2,067. That is a decrease of 158 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,616 to #13,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Wootton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wootton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wootton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wootton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Wootton (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 Wootton mean?
From a place name meaning "settlement in a wooded area" in Old English. 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 Wootton (0.69 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 Wootton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.