2000
#245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.60
Common Last name
Williamson
The son of William, an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name William.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125,349 Americans carry the last name Williamson. That puts it at #280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,734 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Williamson 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 Williamson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125K
1 in 2,734
Census rank
#280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109,310 bearers of the surname Williamson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Williamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Williamson
The surname Williamson has its origins in England and Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name William, which itself comes from the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection". The addition of the suffix "-son" indicates "son of".
The earliest recorded instances of the name Williamson can be traced back to the late 12th century in various administrative and legal records. For example, it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1196 as Willelmus filius Willelmi, essentially meaning "William, son of William". This demonstrates the transition from the patronymic form to the inherited surname.
The Williamson surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the specific spelling "Williamson" is not mentioned, there are references to individuals with the name William and its variants, such as Willelm and Willame, which would later evolve into the surname form.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Williamson became more widespread across England and Scotland, often associated with landowners and prominent families. One notable example is Sir Adam Williamson (c. 1280-1338), a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 16th century, the Williamson surname gained further recognition with the exploits of John Williamson (c. 1520-1598), a sea captain and merchant adventurer from Northamptonshire, England. He played a pivotal role in establishing English trade with the Barbary Coast of North Africa.
Another individual of historical significance was Sir Joseph Williamson (1633-1701), an English politician and diplomat who served as Secretary of State under King Charles II and King James II. He was also a founding member of the Royal Society and a noted book collector.
During the 17th century, the Williamson surname was also associated with the colonization of the Americas. One such figure was Sir Jonathan Williamson (1629-1707), an English merchant and landowner who became one of the first Lords Proprietors of the Province of Carolina in the British colonies.
In the literary world, David Williamson (1869-1954), a Scottish writer and journalist, gained recognition for his works such as "Scots Streams" and "Edinburgensis", which explored the history and culture of Edinburgh.
These examples illustrate the rich history and widespread presence of the Williamson surname across various fields and regions throughout the centuries, reflecting its enduring legacy as a prominent English and Scottish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Williamson
Among Census respondents with the surname Williamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Williamson 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 Williamson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 81,305
- Black or African American16.9% · 18,520
- Two or more races4.1% · 4,529
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3,518
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 775
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 663
Timeline
Historical Census data for Williamson
Williamson 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
#267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,959
+2,743 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 38.97
Rank movement Down 22 places
2020
#280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,310
-5,649 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 36.57
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #245 | 112,216 | 41.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #267 | 114,959 | 38.97 | +2,743 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 22 places |
| 2020 | #280 | 109,310 | 36.57 | -5,649 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 13 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 Williamson 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 | #267 | #280 | -4.9% |
| Count | 114,959 | 109,310 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 38.97 | 36.57 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Williamson bearers went from 114,959 to 109,310 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #267 to #280.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Williamson
FAQ
Williamson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Williamson?
Name Census estimates that about 125,349 living Americans carry the surname Williamson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,734 residents.
How common is Williamson?
Williamson ranks #280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109,310 people with the surname Williamson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125,349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Williamson.
Has Williamson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Williamson went from 114,959 recorded bearers to 109,310. That is a decrease of 5,649 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #267 to #280.
What does the Census say about the background of Williamson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Williamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Williamson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (81,305 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Williamson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (16.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Williamson (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 Williamson mean?
The son of William, an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name 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 Williamson (36.57 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 Williamson?
Find out how many people have the surname Williamson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.