2000
#4,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,805
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.52
Rare Last name
Woolsey
Derived from a place name meaning "Wulf's island" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,556 Americans carry the last name Woolsey. That puts it at #5,134 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,362 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woolsey 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 Woolsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,362
Census rank
#5,134
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,589 bearers of the surname Woolsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5134th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woolsey
The surname Woolsey is an English toponymic name derived from the Old English words 'wull' meaning wool and 'ey' meaning island, referring to an island where wool was traded or processed. The name originated in Dorset, England, during the medieval period.
Woolsey is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wulleseia, referring to the village of Woolsey in Dorset. The earliest known bearer of the name was Walter de Wulleseia, who was mentioned in records from the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Wollesye, Wollesy, and Wullesye. During this time, the Woolsey family held lands in Dorset and neighbouring counties. One notable member was Sir William Woolsey (c. 1260-1325), a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
By the 14th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, including London and Essex. Records from this period mention individuals like John Wullesye (b. c. 1320) and Thomas Wollesey (b. c. 1350), both from Essex.
In the 15th century, the name was sometimes associated with the village of Woolsey in Oxfordshire, leading to variations like Wolsey and Wulcy. One famous bearer was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c. 1475-1530), an influential statesman and the Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII.
The 16th and 17th centuries saw the Woolsey name spread further across England, with families settling in counties like Yorkshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Woolsey (c. 1580-1645), a merchant and alderman in London, and Thomas Woolsey (c. 1620-1692), a Puritan minister in New England.
Other historical figures with the Woolsey surname include George Woolsey (1667-1728), a British naval officer and colonial governor of Virginia; Theodore Dwight Woolsey (1801-1889), an American scholar and president of Yale College; and Robert Woolsey (1888-1962), an American diplomat and the first Director of Central Intelligence under President Truman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woolsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Woolsey 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 Woolsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 5,841
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 263
- Two or more races3.9% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 109
- Black or African American1.1% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woolsey
Woolsey 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
#5,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,949
+144 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 286 places
2020
#5,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,589
-360 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,763 | 6,805 | 2.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,049 | 6,949 | 2.36 | +144 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 286 places |
| 2020 | #5,134 | 6,589 | 2.20 | -360 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 85 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 Woolsey 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 | #5,049 | #5,134 | -1.7% |
| Count | 6,949 | 6,589 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.20 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woolsey bearers went from 6,949 to 6,589 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,049 to #5,134.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Woolsey
FAQ
Woolsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woolsey?
Name Census estimates that about 7,556 living Americans carry the surname Woolsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,362 residents.
How common is Woolsey?
Woolsey ranks #5,134 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,589 people with the surname Woolsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Woolsey.
Has Woolsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woolsey went from 6,949 recorded bearers to 6,589. That is a decrease of 360 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,049 to #5,134.
What does the Census say about the background of Woolsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woolsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Woolsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (5,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woolsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Woolsey (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 Woolsey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Wulf's island" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence. 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 Woolsey (2.20 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 share the surname Woolsey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.