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    The surnameWilson

    A patronymic surname, the 14th most common in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈwɪlsən/ 2 syllables Soundex W425 Also a first name

    Wilson: #14 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Wilson #14, 801,882 people Wilson: #14 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Wilson #14, 801,882 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wilson is more common than 99.9% of them.

    Origin

    From Will (short form of William) + -son.

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

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 801,882 people named Wilson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 385 Americans. That is up 2.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 783,051.

    #14
    rank among US surnames
    801,882
    people in 2010
    272
    per 100,000 Americans
    +2.4%
    change since 2000 (was #10)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #5Jones1,425,470217
    #6Garcia1,166,120265
    #7Miller1,161,437266
    #8Davis1,116,357277
    #9Rodriguez1,094,924282
    #10Martinez1,060,159291
    #11Hernandez1,043,281296

    Who is named Wilson

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

    67% of people named Wilson identified as white (not Hispanic), 26% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 67%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 26%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
    • Two or more races 2.4%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Wilsons

    242 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Woodrow Wilson
      28th President of the United States (1913–1921)
    • Robert Wilson
      American astronomer (born 1936)
    • Owen Wilson
      American actor (born 1968)
    • Edward O. Wilson
      American biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929–2021)
    • Brian Wilson
      American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer (1942–2025)
    • Patrick Wilson
      American actor, born 1973
    • Luke Wilson
      American actor (born 1971)
    • Rita Wilson
      American actress, singer and producer, born 1956
    • Rebel Wilson
      Australian actress, writer, and producer, born 1980
    • Rainn Wilson
      American actor, comedian, producer, and writer, born 1966
    • Robert B. Wilson
      American economist and Nobel laureate, born 1937
    • Chandra Wilson
      American actress and director, born 1969

    Notable Wilsons come mostly from the United States (195), Australia (18) and the United Kingdom (15).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Variant spellings

    Surnames that sound like Wilson

    Wilson has the Soundex code W425, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W425.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Wilson come from?
    From Will (short form of William) + -son.
    How common is the surname Wilson?
    801,882 people in the United States had the surname Wilson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 385 Americans. It ranked 14th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Wilson?
    In the 2010 Census, 67% of people named Wilson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 26% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Wilson?
    Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States (1913–1921), followed by Robert Wilson.