Surname Rarity Checker / How rare is Wilson
How Rare Is the Last Name Wilson?
Wilson is the 14th most common surname in the United States. About 801,882 Americans carry it, which works out to roughly 1 in 331 people, or 0.302% of the population. That is a common surname, though far from the top of the list. Here is the full picture from the Census surname file, plus a card you can save and share.
- Rarity
- 1 in 331
- Tier
- Common
- U.S. rank
- 14th
- Share of people
- 0.302%
- People named
- 801,882
- 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 Wilson comes from
Wilson means 'son of Will', the everyday short form of William. It is most concentrated in northern England and Scotland, where the -son ending took hold under Scandinavian influence.
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 Wilson?
- Wilson is in the Common tier. About 1 in 331 Americans share it, which is 0.302% of the population, and it ranks 14th of all U.S. surnames. In total 801,882 people carried it in the 2010 Census.
- Is Wilson a rare last name?
- No. Wilson is a well-established surname rather than a rare one. It is in the Common tier, ranked 14th of all U.S. surnames, with about 1 in 331 Americans sharing it.
- How common is the surname Wilson?
- About 1 in 331 Americans carry the surname Wilson, which is 0.302% of the population and 14th of all U.S. surnames. That places it in the Common tier.
- How many people have the last name Wilson?
- 801,882 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 Wilson come from?
- Wilson means 'son of Will', the everyday short form of William. It is most concentrated in northern England and Scotland, where the -son ending took hold under Scandinavian influence.