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

Wylie, 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 Wylie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wylie in America

Wylie is the 2993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wylie surname appeared 11,975 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Wylie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wylie 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 Wylie

The surname WYLIE has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "wil," which means "willow," and the suffix "-ey," which denotes a place name, suggesting that the original bearers of the name likely lived near a willow tree or in a place where willows grew abundantly.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of Scottish landowners' oaths of allegiance to Edward I of England. The name appears as "Wyly" in this record. The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, where it is spelled "Wylie."

The WYLIE surname is closely associated with the county of Lanarkshire in Scotland, particularly the areas around Glasgow and Hamilton. In the 16th century, the name was commonly found in records from these regions, often spelled as "Wyllie" or "Wylly."

Notable historical figures with the surname WYLIE include Andrew Wylie (1789-1851), a Scottish-born Canadian Presbyterian minister and educator who played a crucial role in establishing the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Another prominent individual was William Wylie (1768-1828), a Scottish-American political figure who served as a United States Representative from Virginia.

Other notable bearers of the WYLIE surname include:

1. James Wylie (1768-1854), a Scottish minister and historian best known for his work "The History of the Reformation in Scotland."
2. Samuel Brown Wylie (1773-1828), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania.
3. Andrew Wylie III (1789-1851), a Scottish-born Canadian Presbyterian minister and educator, considered the "Father of the Presbyterian Church in Canada."
4. John Wylie (1837-1923), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio.
5. Ida Alexa Ross Wylie (1885-1959), a Canadian writer and journalist known for her works on Canadian history and culture.

The WYLIE surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Wyliesmill, a village in South Lanarkshire, and Wyliehole, a location in West Lothian. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the willow tree or willow-growing areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wylie

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

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

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

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