Surname Rarity Checker / How rare is Williams
How Rare Is the Last Name Williams?
Williams is the 3rd most common surname in the United States. About 1,625,252 Americans carry it, which works out to roughly 1 in 163 people, or 0.612% of the population. That is one of the most common surnames in the country. Here is the full picture from the Census surname file, plus a card you can save and share.
- Rarity
- 1 in 163
- Tier
- Very Common
- U.S. rank
- 3rd
- Share of people
- 0.612%
- People named
- 1,625,252
- Source
- Census 2010
Based on the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 surname file, which counts 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames held by 100 or more people.
Where the surname Williams comes from
Williams means 'son of William', from a Germanic name combining 'will' and 'helmet'. It spread through England after the Norman Conquest and became especially common in Wales, where patronymic surnames settled late.
Want to check a different last name? Try the surname rarity checker. Last names are only half the picture: the first-name rarity checker runs the same math on given names, and how common is my name combines the two.
Frequently asked questions
- How rare is the last name Williams?
- Williams is in the Very Common tier. About 1 in 163 Americans share it, which is 0.612% of the population, and it ranks 3rd of all U.S. surnames. In total 1,625,252 people carried it in the 2010 Census.
- Is Williams a rare last name?
- No. Williams is a well-established surname rather than a rare one. It is in the Very Common tier, ranked 3rd of all U.S. surnames, with about 1 in 163 Americans sharing it.
- How common is the surname Williams?
- About 1 in 163 Americans carry the surname Williams, which is 0.612% of the population and 3rd of all U.S. surnames. That places it in the Very Common tier.
- How many people have the last name Williams?
- 1,625,252 people in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2010 surname file, which counted 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames.
- Where does the surname Williams come from?
- Williams means 'son of William', from a Germanic name combining 'will' and 'helmet'. It spread through England after the Norman Conquest and became especially common in Wales, where patronymic surnames settled late.