2000
#2,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.87
Uncommon Last name
Willey
Derived from a place name meaning "willow wood" or from a nickname for a person resembling a willow tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,037 Americans carry the last name Willey. That puts it at #2,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willey 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 Willey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,418
Census rank
#2,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,241 bearers of the surname Willey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willey
The surname Willey is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning willow and "lēah" meaning wood, clearing, or meadow. It was initially given as a topographic name to someone who lived near a willow tree or in a clearing where willows grew.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Willey appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Wilelei" in Bedfordshire. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the surname was also spelled as Wylly, Willi, and Wilie, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. These early spellings can be found in various historical records, such as parish registers and tax rolls.
In the 16th century, the name Willey was associated with several notable individuals. One example is John Willey (c. 1519-1597), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1593 until his death.
Another prominent figure was Samuel Willey (1766-1826), an American farmer and innkeeper from New Hampshire. He and his family gained tragic fame after being killed in the Willey House Slide, a landslide that destroyed their home in the White Mountains in 1826.
In the 19th century, Sir Samuel Willey (1823-1903) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings, including the Holborn Viaduct in London.
Moving into the 20th century, Robert Willey (1908-1988) was an American politician who served as the Governor of Connecticut from 1963 to 1966.
Lastly, Malcolm Willey (1935-2020) was a renowned British actor best known for his roles in various television series, including "Keeping Up Appearances" and "Lovejoy."
The surname Willey has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Willey in Shropshire and Willey Green in Hertfordshire, further reflecting its topographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willey
Among Census respondents with the surname Willey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Willey 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 Willey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 11,100
- Two or more races3.3% · 407
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 384
- Black or African American1.6% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willey
Willey 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
#2,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,067
-78 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Down 238 places
2020
#2,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,241
-826 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,521 | 13,145 | 4.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,759 | 13,067 | 4.43 | -78 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 238 places |
| 2020 | #2,871 | 12,241 | 4.10 | -826 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 112 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 Willey 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 | #2,759 | #2,871 | -4.1% |
| Count | 13,067 | 12,241 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.43 | 4.10 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willey bearers went from 13,067 to 12,241 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,759 to #2,871.
FAQ
Willey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willey?
Name Census estimates that about 14,037 living Americans carry the surname Willey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,418 residents.
How common is Willey?
Willey ranks #2,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,241 people with the surname Willey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Willey.
Has Willey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willey went from 13,067 recorded bearers to 12,241. That is a decrease of 826 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,759 to #2,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Willey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Willey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (11,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Willey (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 Willey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "willow wood" or from a nickname for a person resembling a willow tree. 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 Willey (4.10 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 Willey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.