2000
#72,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Wishman
Someone whose ancestors wished for or hoped to be something.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 279 Americans carry the last name Wishman. That puts it at #83,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,228,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wishman 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.
Bearers in the US
279
1 in 1,228,510
Census rank
#83,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
243
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 243 bearers of the surname Wishman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wishman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wishman
The surname Wishman is believed to have originated in England around the late medieval period. It possibly derives from the Old English words "wisc" meaning water meadow or marshy area, combined with "mann" which means man. This would suggest that the original bearers of the name were people who lived near or worked in a marshy region.
One of the earliest records of the name Wishman appears in the 13th century, a period known for the establishment of many surnames in England. In 1275, a Herbert Wishman is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire. This historical record indicates that people with the surname Wishman were present in Midlands regions of England during this era.
Another notable reference to the surname is from the Poll Tax records of 1379 in Yorkshire, which list a Richard Wishman. This indicates a geographic spread of the surname from its possible origins in Worcestershire to the northern parts of England by the late 14th century. The spelling of the name appears to have remained consistent over these years, suggesting a stable regional presence.
Thomas Wishman, born around 1415 in Lincolnshire, is another figure of historical interest. He was a yeoman farmer, a class of prospering peasants who held and cultivated land. This reflected the social mobility that some families underwent during the late medieval period. Thomas's descendants continued to bear the name in the same region for generations, highlighting its enduring presence.
In the 16th century, records indicate a John Wishman, who was a clothier based in London. Born in 1542, John represented the movement of families from rural areas to urban centers during the agricultural and industrial transformations of England. The name appears in various municipal documents, indicating the involvement of the Wishman family in local trade and economy.
Later, during the early 18th century, a Captain Henry Wishman, born in 1690, became known for his service in the British Navy. His naval records provide a glimpse into his maritime career, with voyages that took him to various parts of the British Empire. His contributions exemplify the diverse roles that bearers of the surname began to identify with as the family moved through different professional arenas.
The surname Wishman, while not as common as some other historical English surnames, has a distinctive origin tied to geographical features and has been borne by individuals who contributed to various facets of social and economic life in England from the medieval period onward.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wishman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wishman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wishman 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 Wishman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 229
- Two or more races4.1% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wishman
Wishman 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
#80,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
-15 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 8,109 places
2020
#83,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
+6 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,022 | 252 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,131 | 237 | 0.08 | -15 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 8,109 places |
| 2020 | #83,373 | 243 | 0.08 | +6 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 3,242 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 Wishman 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 | #80,131 | #83,373 | -4.0% |
| Count | 237 | 243 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wishman bearers went from 237 to 243 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 3,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,131 to #83,373.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wishman
FAQ
Wishman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wishman?
Name Census estimates that about 279 living Americans carry the surname Wishman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,228,510 residents.
How common is Wishman?
Wishman ranks #83,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 243 people with the surname Wishman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wishman.
Has Wishman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wishman went from 237 recorded bearers to 243. That is an increase of 6 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,131 to #83,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Wishman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wishman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Wishman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wishman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Wishman (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 Wishman mean?
Someone whose ancestors wished for or hoped to be something. 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 Wishman (0.08 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 Wishman?
You can see how many people have the last name Wishman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.