2000
#576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.46
Uncommon Last name
Wilkinson
Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Wilkin," a diminutive of William, which means "resolute protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,874 Americans carry the last name Wilkinson. That puts it at #646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
59K
1 in 5,822
Census rank
#646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 51,341 bearers of the surname Wilkinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkinson
The surname Wilkinson originated in England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "Wil" and "cyn," which together translate to "the son of William." It was initially a patronymic surname, identifying individuals as the descendants of someone named William.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wilkinson surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named William Wilkinson is mentioned. Over the following centuries, the name spread across various regions of England, particularly in areas like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland.
The Wilkinson surname appears in several historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists individuals with similar spellings like "Wilchineson" and "Wilchenson." Other early references can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where the name is spelled "Wylkynson."
Notable individuals bearing the Wilkinson surname throughout history include Sir John Wilkinson (1585-1649), a prominent English politician and lawyer who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the English Civil War. Another famous Wilkinson was John Wilkinson (1728-1808), an English ironmaster and pioneer in the industrial revolution, credited with developing the first cast iron bridge in Shropshire.
Reverend John Wilkinson (1728-1808) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the headmaster of Maidstone Grammar School in Kent. In the field of literature, Tate Wilkinson (1739-1803) was an English actor and theatre manager who established the Theatre Royal in York.
Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921-1996) was a renowned English chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organometallic chemistry and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1973 for his work on chemical bonding.
The Wilkinson surname has a rich history deeply rooted in England, with its patronymic origins reflecting the influence of the name William. From early records to prominent figures across various fields, the name has left an indelible mark on British history and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 43,580
- Black or African American6.2% · 3,196
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,031
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,870
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 420
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 244
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkinson
Wilkinson 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
#634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,739
+1,256 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 18.22
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,341
-2,398 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 17.18
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #576 | 52,483 | 19.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #634 | 53,739 | 18.22 | +1,256 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #646 | 51,341 | 17.18 | -2,398 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 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 Wilkinson 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 | #634 | #646 | -1.9% |
| Count | 53,739 | 51,341 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 18.22 | 17.18 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkinson bearers went from 53,739 to 51,341 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #634 to #646.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wilkinson
FAQ
Wilkinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkinson?
Name Census estimates that about 58,874 living Americans carry the surname Wilkinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,822 residents.
How common is Wilkinson?
Wilkinson ranks #646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 51,341 people with the surname Wilkinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,874), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Wilkinson.
Has Wilkinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkinson went from 53,739 recorded bearers to 51,341. That is a decrease of 2,398 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #634 to #646.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Wilkinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (43,580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Wilkinson (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 Wilkinson mean?
Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Wilkin," a diminutive of William, which means "resolute protection." 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 Wilkinson (17.18 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 Wilkinson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.