# Willis (surname)

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

An English surname originating as a patronymic from the name Will.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 130,152 |
| US rank (2010) | 230 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,372 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.6% (125,627 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɪlɪs/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Willis 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) | 62% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.3% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Willis in the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina and Australia.

## People named Willis

- Rumer Willis, American actress
- Connie Willis, American science fiction writer
- Victor Willis, American singer (1951–2026)
- Nathaniel Parker Willis, American magazine writer, editor, and publisher (1806-1867)
- Emily Willis, American pornographic film actress (born 1999)
- Ellen Willis, American writer
- Kevin Willis, American basketball player (born 1962)
- Chris Willis, American singer and songwriter
- Gordon Willis, American cinematographer and film director (1931-2014)
- Wesley Willis, American musician and artist (1963–2003)
- Ike Willis, American musician
- Chuck Willis, American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter (1926-1958)

and 27 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Wells, Walls, Wills, Wiles, Wallis, Wilsey, Willsey, Wilks, Wilkie, Wilk, Wallace, Welch.

## 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.