The Wills surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,219 people carried this name — #1,244 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,400 people counted. That is up 1% from 28,036 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wills surname

A surname originating as a patronymic, meaning “son/daughter of Will”.

From Will + -s (patronymic suffix).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wills» (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 9 births for the Wills name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 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 4
Leinster 2
Munster 2
Connacht 1

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

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 22 people named Wills.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Guadeloupe.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Guadeloupe 2
Alpes-Maritimes 1

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Wills was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Devon: 34 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 294. 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

Devon 34
Cornwall 24
Somerset 11

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 the first U.S. census, 1790

152 families named Wills, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 881 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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

Pennsylvania 36
Virginia 33
New Hampshire 20
North Carolina 17
New York 15
Maryland 11
Connecticut 8
South Carolina 6
Vermont 4
Maine 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

Wills in American newspapers,
1896–1915.

Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Wills
St. Tammany Farmer 1915-07-10
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Wills
Daily Kennebec Journal 1896-03-02
Newspaper page from The Wibaux Pioneer carrying the name Wills
The Wibaux Pioneer 1910-02-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 128,790 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wills in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2010s.

100,796 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wills. The most, 20,308, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 28,209
Queensland 24,821
New South Wales 24,061
South Australia 12,221
Western Australia 5,813
Tasmania 4,926
ACT (Canberra) 413
Northern Territory 91

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

Who carried it

People named Wills,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Kath Wills d. 2024 · justice of the peace
  • D. Scott Wills d. 2011 · university teacher
  • Thomas George Wills d. 1847 · naval officer
  • Alice Wills d. 2014
  • Doris Wills d. 1949
  • Hilda Caroline Lyon d. 1965

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

In the public record

People named Wills,
in the records of 9 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 States2,798 records

2,798 records of the Wills name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,015
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 550
  • Other U.S. records 1,233
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Joseph D. Wills

    Born 1931; from St Louis City, Missouri. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    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 David Wills

    Born 1920 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; waiter from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rachel C. Wills

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 52; housekeeper. From London, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,798 records for Wills in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,335 records

2,335 records of the Wills name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,264
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 427
  • Other Australian records 644
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles Wills

    Died 1874 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 44. Will registered in Tasmania in 1874.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Ollis Wills

    Died 1883 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 59. Will registered in Tasmania in 1883.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 William Wills

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Katherine Stewart Forbes, arriving 1830; ticket of leave 1841.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 2,335 records for Wills 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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada154 records

154 records of the Wills name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 67
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 18
  • Other Canadian records 69
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Wills

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Franklyn Wills

    Buried in 1976 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 75.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Richard Joseph Wills

    Died 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 154 records for Wills in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom69 records

69 records of the Wills name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 49
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 17
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Wills

    Buried in 1819 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 91.

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

    Will proved in 1906; of Bath, Somerset.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. A. Wills

    Middlesex Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 69 records for Wills 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. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands67 records

67 records of the Wills name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 40
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 20
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 7
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Wills

    Died 1853 in Vlissingen, aged 73; of private means.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Helen Wills

    Died 1903 in Utrecht, aged 90.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Hindrik Wills

    In the population register of Hoogezand; wheelwright, born 1887 in Onstwedde.

    Open Archives, Historisch Archief Midden-Groningen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 67 records for Wills in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand61 records

61 records of the Wills name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 45
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 11
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Elizabeth Wills

    Died 1934, aged 76; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alan John Wills

    Died 1969, aged 68; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Florence Clara Wills

    Born 1917, died 1997; ashes interred at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 61 records for Wills 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) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany19 records

19 records of the Wills name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Wills

    From Glauburg, Solingen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 1 November 1915 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 118).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Wills

    From Herne i. W. Listed as returned from captivity in the Imperial Navy casualty list of 16 July 1915; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 15 February 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Otto Wills

    From Potsdam. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 21 January 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 19 records for Wills in Germany.

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

France4 records

4 records of the Wills 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 Graham Robert Wills

    Born 1948 in Great Britain; died 1998 in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Francois Wills

    Born 1922 in Saint-Claude; died 1995 in Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Wills 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).

Ireland1 record

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

    Died 1811, aged 38; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wills.

When the index is not enough

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

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