2000
#670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.28
Uncommon Last name
Wilkerson
Derived from a place name meaning "Wilker's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Wilker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,162 Americans carry the last name Wilkerson. That puts it at #745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkerson 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 Wilkerson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,571
Census rank
#745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,488 bearers of the surname Wilkerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkerson
The surname Wilkerson originated in England, with its earliest roots dating back to the 12th century. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Wilkin, a diminutive form of William. The suffix "-son" was added to denote "son of Wilkin."
Wilkerson is believed to have emerged from the northern English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where variations like Wilkinson and Wilkynson were also common. It is thought to be an anglicized version of the Old Norse name Vilkinsson, brought to England by Scandinavian settlers during the Viking Age.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a Wilkinus de Tockwith. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also references a Richard Wilkynson in Lincolnshire.
In the 14th century, the name Wilkerson was found in various parts of England, including the village of Wilksley in Cheshire and the town of Wilkesley in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in those regions.
Notable historical figures bearing the Wilkerson name include Sir Thomas Wilkerson (1564-1628), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1623. Another prominent individual was Reverend William Wilkerson (1677-1744), a Church of England clergyman and author from Oxfordshire.
In the 17th century, Christopher Wilkerson (1621-1670) was a Puritan minister and one of the founders of Salisbury, Massachusetts. A century later, James Wilkerson (1766-1825) was a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
During the 19th century, Mary Wilkerson (1813-1896) was a pioneering American educator and abolitionist who founded one of the earliest schools for African American children in Connecticut.
The Wilkerson surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with roots in both Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse traditions. While its origins can be traced to specific regions, the name has since spread globally, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkerson 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 Wilkerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 28,079
- Black or African American28.9% · 13,159
- Two or more races4.9% · 2,243
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,477
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 295
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 235
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkerson
Wilkerson 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
#719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,444
+1,839 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 16.42
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,488
-2,956 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 15.22
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #670 | 46,605 | 17.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #719 | 48,444 | 16.42 | +1,839 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #745 | 45,488 | 15.22 | -2,956 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 26 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 Wilkerson 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 | #719 | #745 | -3.6% |
| Count | 48,444 | 45,488 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 16.42 | 15.22 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkerson bearers went from 48,444 to 45,488 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #719 to #745.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wilkerson
FAQ
Wilkerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkerson?
Name Census estimates that about 52,162 living Americans carry the surname Wilkerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,571 residents.
How common is Wilkerson?
Wilkerson ranks #745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,488 people with the surname Wilkerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Wilkerson.
Has Wilkerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkerson went from 48,444 recorded bearers to 45,488. That is a decrease of 2,956 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #719 to #745.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) 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 Wilkerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (28,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Black (28.9%), 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 Wilkerson (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 Wilkerson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Wilker's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Wilker. 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 Wilkerson (15.22 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 Wilkerson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.