# Willard (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/willard/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 21,352 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,690 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 14,460 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.8% (21,183 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɪləɹd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Old English wil (“will”) + heard (“brave, strong”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Willard in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Willard in the United States and Australia.

## People named Willard

- Fred Willard, American actor and comedian (1933-2020)
- Frances Willard, American temperance activist and suffragist (1839–1898)
- Emma Willard, American educator and women's rights activist, 1787-1870
- Jess Willard, American boxer (1881–1968)
- Atom Willard, American drummer
- John Willard, American playwright (1885-1942)
- James Willard, Australian tennis player (1893–1968)
- Dallas Willard, American philosopher (1935–2013)
- Mary Louisa Willard, American forensic scientist (1898-1993)
- Charles W. Willard, American politician (1827-1880)
- Samuel Willard, American theologian (1640–1707)

## Similar surnames

Woolard, Williard, Woolridge, Walrath, Walworth.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.