2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Viener
A surname originating from Austria, likely derived from the German city of Vienna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Viener. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viener surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Viener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viener, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Viener
The surname "VIENER" is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "Wiener," which translates to "Viennese" or someone from the city of Vienna.
In the early 13th century, records indicate that a family bearing the name "Wiener" resided in the vicinity of Vienna, Austria. This particular branch of the family is documented in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a historical manuscript from the Melk Abbey in Lower Austria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Landshuter Erbfolgekrieg chronicles, which detail the Landshut Succession War of 1504-1505. A certain Hans Wiener, a mercenary soldier, is mentioned as having fought for the Bavarian forces during this conflict.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Viener emerged in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in present-day Bavaria, Germany. Johannes Viener, born in 1520, was a renowned Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Protestantism in the region.
Another notable bearer of the name was Wilhelm Viener, a German composer and musician who lived from 1789 to 1858. He is celebrated for his contributions to the development of early Romantic music and his collaborations with notable figures such as Ludwig van Beethoven.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the legacy of the Austrian writer and satirist Karl Viener (1876-1942). His biting critiques of the socio-political landscape of his time earned him both acclaim and controversy during his lifetime.
The name "Viener" has also been associated with various places and locations throughout history. For instance, the town of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria was once known as "Viener Neustadt" in earlier records, reflecting the connection between the surname and the region.
It is worth noting that the spelling variations "Wiener" and "Viener" have been used interchangeably throughout history, with the former being more common in German-speaking regions and the latter appearing more frequently in other parts of Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viener
Among Census respondents with the surname Viener, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Viener bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Viener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 8
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viener
Viener appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,969 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,707 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,969 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 11,707 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Viener surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #150,935 | -8.4% |
| Count | 120 | 108 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viener bearers went from 120 to 108 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 11,707 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,935.
FAQ
Viener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viener?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Viener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Viener?
Viener ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Viener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Viener.
Has Viener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viener went from 120 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Viener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viener, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Viener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Viener (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Viener mean?
A surname originating from Austria, likely derived from the German city of Vienna. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Viener (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Viener?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Viener on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.