Explore the Family Name Willet

The meaning of Willet

1. English: variant of Willett. 2. Altered form of French Ouellet.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Willet has seen a slight increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Willet was ranked as the 19,071st most popular surname in the United States, with approximately 1,320 individuals bearing this name. Ten years later in 2010, the surname rose to the 18,440th position with an estimated total of 1,501 people sharing it — indicating a growth rate of roughly 13.71%. The proportion of the population with this surname per 100,000 people also increased by 4.08% over the same period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#19,071	#18,440	3.31%
Count	1,320	1,501	13.71%
Proportion per 100k	0.49	0.51	4.08%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Willet

The ethnicity distribution of the surname Willet also underwent changes between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. While the majority of individuals with the surname identified as White (90.07% in 2010, down from 92.12% in 2000), there were noticeable increases in other ethnic identities. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander grew by 37.74%, and those reporting as having two or more races increased by 48.76%. There was a significant surge in those identifying as Hispanic, which jumped from 0.83% to 2.20%, marking a 165.06% increase. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native decreased and increased by 8.04% and 62.22% respectively.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.12%	90.07%	-2.23%
Black	4.85%	4.46%	-8.04%
Hispanic	0.83%	2.2%	165.06%
Two or More Races	1.21%	1.8%	48.76%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.53%	0.73%	37.74%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.45%	0.73%	62.22%