How common is the surname Willard?

21,352 people in the United States had the surname Willard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 14,460 Americans. It ranked 1,690th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Willard?

Fred Willard, American actor and comedian (1933-2020), followed by Frances Willard.

Where is the surname Willard most common?

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

How do you pronounce Willard?

Willard is /ˈwɪləɹd/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Willard getting more or less common?

More common. 21,183 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 21,352 in 2010, up 0.8%.

Is Willard also a first name?

Yes. Willard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Willard

An English patronymic surname, carried by 21,352 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈwɪləɹd/ 2 syllables Soundex W463 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Willard is more common than 99% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Willard is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 21,352 people named Willard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 14,460 Americans. That is up 0.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 21,183.

#1,690

rank among US surnames

21,352

people in 2010

7.2

per 100,000 Americans

+0.8%

change since 2000 (was #1,557)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,681	Cote	21,446	14,396
#1,682	Bower	21,445	14,397
#1,683	Miner	21,439	14,401
#1,684	Brantley	21,395	14,431
#1,685	Sheets	21,384	14,438
#1,687	Doss	21,366	14,450
#1,689	Stiles	21,357	14,456

Who is named Willard

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

90% of people named Willard identified as white (not Hispanic), 4.6% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Willards

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1973
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)

Notable Willards come mostly from the United States (10) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Willard

Willard has the Soundex code W463, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W463.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Willard come from?: From Old English wil (“will”) + heard (“brave, strong”).
How common is the surname Willard?: 21,352 people in the United States had the surname Willard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 14,460 Americans. It ranked 1,690th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Willard?: In the 2010 Census, 90% of people named Willard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 4.6% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Willard?: Fred Willard, American actor and comedian (1933-2020), followed by Frances Willard.
Where is the surname Willard most common?: Wikidata records people named Willard in the United States and Australia.
How do you pronounce Willard?: Willard is /ˈwɪləɹd/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Willard?: Willard is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Willard getting more or less common?: More common. 21,183 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 21,352 in 2010, up 0.8%.
Is Willard also a first name?: Yes. Willard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.