Williams surname: U.S. census count, rank and records | FamilyCrests

The Williams surname

In the 2000 U.S. Census, 1,534,042 people carried this name — #3 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 176 people counted.

Free to read. No account, no sign-up.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

647 people named Williams live in Switzerland.

They live in 21 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 157
Vaud 100
Geneva 99
Bern 47
Aargau 41
Valais 34
Basel-Landschaft 34
St. Gallen 19

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 610 people named Williams.

Most of them — 407 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 43 départements, most often French Polynesia.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 407
French Polynesia 35
Paris 29
Guadeloupe 22
Martinique 17
French Guiana 13
Nord 8
Pas-de-Calais 7
Somme 6

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

300 people named Williams have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 771 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Masovian 44
Greater Poland 30
Lower Silesian 28
Silesian 28
Subcarpathian 28
Lesser Poland 24
Pomeranian 21
Łódź 16

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 244 people named Williams live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Brussels-Capital 86
Antwerp 49
Flemish Brabant 37
East Flanders 31
Hainaut 20
West Flanders 6
Walloon Brabant 5
Liège 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Williams in American newspapers,
1870–1907.

Newspaper page from Hattiesburg Daily News carrying the name Williams
Hattiesburg Daily News 1907-08-02
Newspaper page from The Louisiana Democrat carrying the name Williams
The Louisiana Democrat 1877-11-07
Newspaper page from The Louisiana Democrat carrying the name Williams
The Louisiana Democrat 1877-11-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,463,649 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Williams,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Williams
    Thomas Williams bookseller

Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Williams is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

Scroll to Top