2000
#2,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.52
Uncommon Last name
Wilburn
Derived from a place name meaning "well stream" or "spring stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,019 Americans carry the last name Wilburn. That puts it at #2,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilburn 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 Wilburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,397
Census rank
#2,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,969 bearers of the surname Wilburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilburn
The surname Wilburn is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wille" meaning "will" or "desire," and "burna," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have originated in an area near a stream or brook where the original bearer lived or worked.
The earliest recorded instances of the Wilburn surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The name was likely associated with specific locations or places that have since been lost or absorbed into larger towns and cities.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Wilburn surname was William Wilburn, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. This record provides evidence of the name's existence during the medieval period in England.
In the 16th century, the Wilburn surname appeared in various historical records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1548, which mentioned a John Wilburn. The Feet of Fines were legal documents that recorded land transfers and property transactions.
During the 17th century, the Wilburn surname gained prominence with notable individuals such as Richard Wilburn (1619-1685), an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles II. Another noteworthy figure was John Wilburn (1639-1713), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of celestial mechanics.
In the 18th century, the Wilburn surname continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable bearer was Robert Wilburn (1721-1796), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and rose to the rank of Admiral.
Throughout the 19th century, the Wilburn surname spread to other parts of the world as English immigrants settled in new territories. One prominent individual was Samuel Wilburn (1830-1905), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the Wilburn surname include Arthur Wilburn (1890-1967), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, and William Wilburn (1916-2001), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilburn 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 Wilburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.4% · 8,996
- Black or African American25.7% · 3,590
- Two or more races4.9% · 684
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 508
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilburn
Wilburn 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
#2,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,928
+29 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 5.06
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#2,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,969
-959 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.67
Rank movement Down 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,240 | 14,899 | 5.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,428 | 14,928 | 5.06 | +29 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #2,514 | 13,969 | 4.67 | -959 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 86 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 Wilburn 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 | #2,428 | #2,514 | -3.5% |
| Count | 14,928 | 13,969 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.06 | 4.67 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilburn bearers went from 14,928 to 13,969 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,428 to #2,514.
FAQ
Wilburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilburn?
Name Census estimates that about 16,019 living Americans carry the surname Wilburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,397 residents.
How common is Wilburn?
Wilburn ranks #2,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,969 people with the surname Wilburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Wilburn.
Has Wilburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilburn went from 14,928 recorded bearers to 13,969. That is a decrease of 959 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,428 to #2,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Wilburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.4% (8,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.4%), Black (25.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Wilburn (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 Wilburn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "well stream" or "spring stream" 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 Wilburn (4.67 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 have the last name Wilburn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Wilburn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.