The Willis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 130,152 people carried this name — #230 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,270 people counted. That is up 4% from 125,627 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Willis surname

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Willis» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of William’.

An early record he cites: Johannes Willeson, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Willis and Wills.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 815 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 33 births for the Willis name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 22
Leinster 6
Munster 5

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

75 people named Willis live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 19
Zurich 17
Geneva 11
Bern 8
Aargau 4
Basel-Landschaft 4
Basel-Stadt 4
Graubünden 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 61 people named Willis live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 32
City of Buenos Aires 19
Santa Fe 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named Willis.

Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 33
Nord 3
Paris 3
Aisne 2
French Guiana 2
Isère 1
Haute-Vienne 1
Val-d’Oise 1

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

In Poland’s population register

25 people named Willis have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 67 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 8
Lesser Poland 6
Lublin 3
Łódź 2
Podlaskie 2
Pomeranian 2
Silesian 2

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

In the Nordic population registers

98 people named Willis are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 70
Finland (2026) 28

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Willis was found among the farmers of 9 counties.

It was most frequent in Essex: 35 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 286. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Essex 35
Berkshire 30
Wiltshire 29
Cheshire 22
Durham 20
Dorset 14
Bedfordshire 11
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 10

And 1 more county.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Willis was recorded 30 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 816th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 26. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

323 families named Willis, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,752 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 69
North Carolina 62
New York 39
Virginia 37
Pennsylvania 28
Connecticut 25
Maryland 23
Vermont 17
South Carolina 10
New Hampshire 9
Maine 2
Rhode Island 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Willis in American newspapers,
1874–1900.

Newspaper page from River Falls Journal carrying the name Willis
River Falls Journal 1874-09-04
Newspaper page from Bellows Falls Times carrying the name Willis
Bellows Falls Times 1893-03-16
Newspaper page from News And Citizen carrying the name Willis
News And Citizen 1900-11-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,688,136 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Willis in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

223,523 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Willis. The most, 40,619, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 105,617
Victoria 43,371
Queensland 28,628
Western Australia 16,583
South Australia 15,841
Tasmania 8,853
ACT (Canberra) 4,089
Northern Territory 187

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Willis.

Who carried it

People named Willis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Willis
    Thomas Willis 1621–1675 · physician
  • Richard Willis
    Richard Willis 1664–1734 · bishop
  • Nathaniel Willis
    Nathaniel Willis 1780–1870 · publisher
  • William Willis
    William Willis 1794–1870 · lawyer
  • Henry Willis
    Henry Willis 1821–1901 · organ builder

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 218 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Willis,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States9,093 records

9,093 records of the Willis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 4,048
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 1,781
  • Other U.S. records 3,264
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Clyde Willis

    Born 1947; from Hayward, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert C. Willis

    Born 1906 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Richmond; construction worker from Charles City. U.S. Air Force veteran; died 1969, buried at Glendale National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harvey R. Willis

    Born 1922 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Denver, Colorado; farm hand from Weld County, Colorado. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Crown Hill Cemetery, Powell, Wyoming.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 9,093 records for Willis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia3,548 records

3,548 records of the Willis name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,811
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 591
  • Other Australian records 1,146
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Willis

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the New Grove, sailing from London in 1834. Native of Carlisle, Cumberland. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Jane Willis

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove, sailing from London in 1841. Native of Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Percival Boyd Willis

    Died 1930 in Burnie, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1930.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,548 records for Willis in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada581 records

581 records of the Willis name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 342
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 55
  • Other Canadian records 184
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Joseph Willis

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Mattoon, as an infant.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rich'd Willis

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alberta Jessie Willis

    Buried in 1964 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 71.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 581 records for Willis in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom143 records

143 records of the Willis name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 96
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 36
  • Other British records 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Violet Willis

    Died 1986, aged 61; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Diana Willis

    Buried in 1831 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 57.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Rebecca Gertrude De Willis

    Will proved in 1940; of Bath, Somerset.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 143 records for Willis in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands104 records

104 records of the Willis name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 62
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 26
  • Dutch population registers 16
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alegonda Willis

    Married in 1866 in Alem; born in Macharen. Died 1895 in Driel, aged 75.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Gerrit Jan Willis

    Born 1900 in Apeldoorn. Married in 1923 in Apeldoorn; painter.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lamberdina Jaantje Willis

    Born 1920 in Schiedam. Married in 1939 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Schiedam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 104 records for Willis in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand74 records

74 records of the Willis name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 59
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 9
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daisy Willis

    Died 1929, aged 33; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ronald Valentine Willis

    Buried in 1995 at Mercury Bay Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 68.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 74 records for Willis in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France9 records

9 records of the Willis name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Hippolyte Georges Willis

    Born 1926 in Gonesse (Val-d'Oise); died 1991 in Lagny-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 9 records for Willis in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland6 records

6 records of the Willis name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary A. Willis

    Died 1911, aged 73; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 6 records for Willis in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany6 records

6 records of the Willis name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 5
  • German applications to settle and marry 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Michael Willis

    From Engkofen, Niederb. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 28 April 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 2).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 6 records for Willis in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Willis name in Belgium Belgian population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Marie Cecile Willis

    In the population register of Aalst; born 1848 in Kerkom.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Willis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Willis 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.

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