Explore the Family Name Widdowson

The meaning of Widdowson

English (East Midlands): patronymic or metronymic denoting ‘the son of the widow’ or ‘son of the widower’, from Middle English widwe (Old English widewe feminine, widewa masculine) + son.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Widdowson in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Widdowson has experienced a slight decline. In 2000, it held the rank of 38,464 in terms of commonality, but dropped to rank 39,352 by 2010, indicating a decrease of 2.31%. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased from 541 to 559 within the same decade, marking a growth of 3.33%. However, the proportion of people having the Widdowson surname per 100k population decreased by 5% during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#38,464#39,352-2.31%
Count5415593.33%
Proportion per 100k0.20.19-5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Widdowson

In terms of ethnicity, again referencing the Decennial U.S. Census data, changes were observed over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The majority of individuals with the Widdowson surname identified as White, although this percentage did reduce slightly from 97.04% to 94.99%. Meanwhile, the percentage identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial increase, rising from 1.11% to 1.79%, which equates to a 61.26% change. The count of those identifying as Black decreased from 1.11% to 0.89%, a reduction of about 19.82%. Interestingly, the 2010 census also recorded individuals with the Widdowson surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races for the first time, accounting for 1.07% and 1.25% respectively. There was no change in the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White97.04%94.99%-2.11%
Hispanic1.11%1.79%61.26%
Two or More Races0%1.25%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.07%0%
Black1.11%0.89%-19.82%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%