2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Viestenz
An occupational surname associated with a messenger or courier of news.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Viestenz. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viestenz 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Viestenz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viestenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Viestenz
The surname Viestenz is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the late 15th century. The name is derived from the German word "Viestenzen," which means "residents of the village." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely resided in a particular village or town in Germany.
In the early 16th century, the name Viestenz appeared in several records and manuscripts from the region of Saxony, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1512, when a certain Johannes Viestenz was mentioned in a land registry document from the town of Meissen.
The name Viestenz is closely linked to the town of Viesen, which was a small village located in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is possible that the name originated as a reference to the inhabitants of this village, and over time, it evolved into the surname we know today.
One notable bearer of the Viestenz surname was Heinrich Viestenz, a prominent merchant and trader who lived in the city of Leipzig during the late 16th century. Heinrich Viestenz played a significant role in the city's thriving trade industry, and his name is mentioned in several business records from that period.
Another individual worth mentioning is Johann Viestenz, a Lutheran minister who served in the town of Torgau during the 17th century. Johann Viestenz was known for his influential sermons and his dedication to the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Viestenz surname gained recognition in the field of academia. Friedrich Viestenz, born in 1732, was a renowned scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Halle. His works on ethics and metaphysics were widely studied and debated during his lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, we encounter Wilhelm Viestenz, a talented artist and painter who was born in 1824 in Dresden. Wilhelm Viestenz was famous for his landscape paintings, which captured the beauty of the German countryside. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and are still highly regarded today.
The early 20th century saw the rise of Karl Viestenz, a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur who played a crucial role in the development of the German automotive industry. Born in 1892, Karl Viestenz founded a successful automotive parts manufacturing company that supplied components to major car manufacturers in Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viestenz
Among Census respondents with the surname Viestenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Viestenz 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 Viestenz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viestenz
Viestenz 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+15 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,212 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-11 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 4,212 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 12,224 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 Viestenz 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 | #129,825 | #142,049 | -9.4% |
| Count | 131 | 120 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viestenz bearers went from 131 to 120 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 12,224 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #142,049.
FAQ
Viestenz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viestenz?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Viestenz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Viestenz?
Viestenz ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Viestenz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Viestenz.
Has Viestenz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viestenz went from 131 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Viestenz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viestenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Viestenz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viestenz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Viestenz (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 Viestenz mean?
An occupational surname associated with a messenger or courier of news. 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 Viestenz (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 many people share the surname Viestenz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.