2000
#3,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.52
Uncommon Last name
Wynne
A Welsh surname derived from the word "wyn," meaning "fair" or "blessed," likely referring to a person's appearance or character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,791 Americans carry the last name Wynne. That puts it at #3,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wynne 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 Wynne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,763
Census rank
#3,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,410 bearers of the surname Wynne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wynne, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wynne
The surname Wynne is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "wyn" meaning joy, pleasure or delight. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for a cheerful or joyful person.
The name Wynne can be traced back to the 12th century in records from Cheshire, England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where it is spelled "Wyne".
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a reference to a person named "Winemon" in Shropshire, which is believed to be an early variation of the Wynne surname.
The Wynne family was prominent in Wales, particularly in Denbighshire and Flintshire, where they held lands and estates from the 13th century onwards. Notable members of the Wynne family include Sir John Wynn (1553-1627), a Welsh antiquary and historian who wrote the "History of the Gwydir Family".
Another famous bearer of the surname was Robert Wynne (1691-1743), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Camelford. He was also a prominent landowner in Cheshire and Montgomeryshire.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Wynne surname is William Wynne, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He later became a prominent landowner and member of the House of Burgesses in Virginia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wynne include Thomas Wynne (1627-1691), a Welsh-born Quaker who founded the town of Gwynedd in Pennsylvania, and Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn (1749-1789), a Welsh politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Denbighshire.
The Wynne surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Wynn-stay in Shropshire, which was once owned by the Wynne family, and Wynnewood in Pennsylvania, named after Thomas Wynne, the founder of the nearby town of Gwynedd.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wynne
Among Census respondents with the surname Wynne, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wynne 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 Wynne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 7,194
- Black or African American13.1% · 1,237
- Two or more races4.3% · 407
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 366
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wynne
Wynne 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
#3,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,637
+138 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#3,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,410
-227 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,443 | 9,499 | 3.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,686 | 9,637 | 3.27 | +138 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #3,674 | 9,410 | 3.15 | -227 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 12 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 Wynne 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 | #3,686 | #3,674 | 0.3% |
| Count | 9,637 | 9,410 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.27 | 3.15 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wynne bearers went from 9,637 to 9,410 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,686 to #3,674.
FAQ
Wynne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wynne?
Name Census estimates that about 10,791 living Americans carry the surname Wynne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,763 residents.
How common is Wynne?
Wynne ranks #3,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,410 people with the surname Wynne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Wynne.
Has Wynne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wynne went from 9,637 recorded bearers to 9,410. That is a decrease of 227 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,686 to #3,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Wynne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wynne, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Wynne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (7,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wynne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (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 Wynne (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 Wynne mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the word "wyn," meaning "fair" or "blessed," likely referring to a person's appearance or character. 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 Wynne (3.15 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 common is the surname Wynne?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Wynne on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.