2000
#1,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.36
Uncommon Last name
William
An English surname derived from the Norman French given name Willaume, which is a cognate of William.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,635 Americans carry the last name William. That puts it at #2,962 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the William 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 William with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,138
Census rank
#2,962
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,890 bearers of the surname William in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2962nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname William, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of William
The surname WILLIAM is of English origin, derived from the Norman French form of the Germanic name Willelm or Wilhelm. It is a compound word formed from the elements "wil" meaning "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." The name gained widespread popularity after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname WILLIAM can be traced back to the 11th century, shortly after the Norman invasion. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property throughout England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, contains numerous references to individuals bearing this surname.
During the Middle Ages, the surname WILLIAM was particularly prevalent in areas of Normandy and northern France, as well as in regions of England with strong Norman influence, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and East Anglia. The name was often associated with landed gentry and nobility, as many Norman noblemen adopted the surname following their conquest of England.
One of the most notable early bearers of the surname WILLIAM was William Marshal (c. 1147-1219), a celebrated knight and statesman who served as regent of England during the minority of King Henry III. Another prominent figure was William Wallace (c. 1270-1305), the Scottish knight and leader of the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
In the 14th century, the surname WILLIAM appeared in various spellings, including Willame, Wyllyam, and Wylyam, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography at the time. During this period, the name was also associated with place names, such as William of Wykeham (c. 1324-1404), the influential Bishop of Winchester and founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford.
Other notable individuals with the surname WILLIAM throughout history include William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the renowned English playwright and poet; William Wordsworth (1770-1850), the influential English Romantic poet; and William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the English politician and philanthropist who led the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for William
Among Census respondents with the surname William, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how William 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 William surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.2% · 6,205
- White30.8% · 3,661
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.3% · 987
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 519
- Two or more races3.3% · 395
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for William
William 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
#2,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,373
-3,791 bearers (-22.1%)
Per 100,000 4.53
Rank movement Down 771 places
2020
#2,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,890
-1,483 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,923 | 17,164 | 6.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,694 | 13,373 | 4.53 | -3,791 bearers (-22.1%) | Down 771 places |
| 2020 | #2,962 | 11,890 | 3.98 | -1,483 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 268 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 William 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 | #2,694 | #2,962 | -9.9% |
| Count | 13,373 | 11,890 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.53 | 3.98 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of William bearers went from 13,373 to 11,890 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 268 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,694 to #2,962.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname William
FAQ
William surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname William?
Name Census estimates that about 13,635 living Americans carry the surname William. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,138 residents.
How common is William?
William ranks #2,962 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.98 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 11,890 people with the surname William. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,635), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.98 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 William.
Has William become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname William went from 13,373 recorded bearers to 11,890. That is a decrease of 1,483 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,694 to #2,962.
What does the Census say about the background of William?
Among Census respondents with the surname William, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname William in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (6,205 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
William appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.2%), White (30.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.3%). 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 William (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 William mean?
An English surname derived from the Norman French given name Willaume, which is a cognate of William. 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 William (3.98 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 William?
You can see how many people have the surname William on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.