Aim To investigate the relationship of each white blood cells (WBC) subtype with neurologic severity and outcome in acute stroke. Methods 779 patients with first-ever acute cerebral infarction within 72 h after symptom onset were included. The study investigated the association between counts for WBC subtypes in peripheral blood at admission and initial stroke severity, early change in stroke severity within one week and functional outcome at three months. Results Higher total WBC and neutrophil counts were associated with more severe stroke at admission (P<0.001). In contrast, lower lymphocyte counts were associated with a lesser improvement during the first week after admission (P<0.05) and with poor functional outcome at three months (OR=0.706, P=0.020). Conclusion It showed that neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, which were measured at admission in acute cerebral infarction, have different predictive values for prognosis.