2000
#10,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Wiltshire
A locational surname referring to someone from the county of Wiltshire in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,166 Americans carry the last name Wiltshire. That puts it at #11,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,261
Census rank
#11,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,761 bearers of the surname Wiltshire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiltshire
The surname Wiltshire has its origins in England, deriving from the historic county of Wiltshire. The name itself is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name hailed from this region. The county's name is derived from the Old English words "Wilton" and "scir," which together mean "the district of Wilton."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Wiltshire can be traced back to the late 12th century. One notable example is found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1196, where a certain William de Wiltesir is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Wiltesir," highlights the evolving nature of the surname over time.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and their holdings, several individuals with the surname Wiltshire or variations thereof are listed, such as Reginald de Wilteshire and William de Wiltsire. This suggests that the name was well-established by the 13th century.
The Domesday Book, the comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Wiltshire. However, it does mention various landholders and tenants within the county itself, indicating the region's historical significance.
One notable individual bearing the Wiltshire surname was Sir Thomas Wiltshire (c. 1470-1526), who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Walter Wiltshire (1618-1701), an English philosopher and clergyman who was a fellow of the Royal Society.
In the literary realm, John Wiltshire (1681-1749) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Discourse on the Lord's Supper." Additionally, Robert Wiltshire (1786-1855) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Wiltshire surname has also been associated with various places within the county itself, such as Wiltshire Village and Wiltshire County, further reinforcing the name's locational origins.
Throughout history, the surname Wiltshire has undergone various spelling variations, including Wiltesir, Wilteshire, Wiltsire, and Wiltshyre, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiltshire
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.1% · 1,633
- Black or African American29.5% · 814
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 145
- Two or more races5.1% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiltshire
Wiltshire 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
#10,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
+229 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#11,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,761
-138 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,937 | 2,670 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,974 | 2,899 | 0.98 | +229 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #11,001 | 2,761 | 0.92 | -138 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 27 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 Wiltshire 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 | #10,974 | #11,001 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,899 | 2,761 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.92 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiltshire bearers went from 2,899 to 2,761 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,974 to #11,001.
FAQ
Wiltshire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiltshire?
Name Census estimates that about 3,166 living Americans carry the surname Wiltshire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,261 residents.
How common is Wiltshire?
Wiltshire ranks #11,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,761 people with the surname Wiltshire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wiltshire.
Has Wiltshire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiltshire went from 2,899 recorded bearers to 2,761. That is a decrease of 138 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,974 to #11,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiltshire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wiltshire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (1,633 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiltshire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.1%), Black (29.5%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Wiltshire (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 Wiltshire mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the county of Wiltshire in England. 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 Wiltshire (0.92 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 people have the last name Wiltshire?
See how common the surname Wiltshire is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.