2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wabnitz
A surname originating from a place name derived from the Slavic words "vaba" meaning "allurement" and "nitz" meaning "low areas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Wabnitz. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wabnitz 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Wabnitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wabnitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wabnitz
The surname Wabnitz originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It likely derived from a place name, as many German surnames did during that era. The root "Wab" may have come from an older German word meaning "stream" or "river," while "nitz" could indicate a suffix denoting a location near a body of water.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Wabnitz, born around 1520 in the town of Zittau, located in what is now Saxony. Records show he worked as a blacksmith and had several children who carried on the Wabnitz name in the region. In the 1600s, the Wabnitz family spread to other parts of Germany, including Brandenburg and Silesia.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Wabnitz (1642-1718) gained recognition as a Lutheran theologian and author. He was born in Görlitz, Saxony, and served as a pastor in various churches throughout his life, publishing several religious works that were influential in his time.
In the 18th century, the Wabnitz name appeared in official documents and records across different German states. For instance, in 1723, a farmer named Michael Wabnitz was registered in the village of Niederschlesiersbach, located in what was then the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. Around the same period, a merchant named Johann Friedrich Wabnitz (1698-1776) established a successful trading business in Hamburg.
As Germany industrialized in the 19th century, the Wabnitz name became associated with various professions and trades. One prominent individual was Karl Wabnitz (1822-1897), a civil engineer and architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Borsig-Werke factory complex.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Wabnitz (1856-1934), a German painter and illustrator renowned for his landscapes and nature scenes. He was born in Dresden and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts there, later becoming a respected artist and professor at the same institution.
Throughout its history, the Wabnitz surname has maintained a strong presence in Germany, with various branches and individuals contributing to the country's cultural, economic, and intellectual landscapes over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wabnitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wabnitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wabnitz 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 Wabnitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 100
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wabnitz
Wabnitz 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,697 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-12 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,697 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 11,199 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 Wabnitz 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 | #141,140 | #152,339 | -7.9% |
| Count | 118 | 106 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wabnitz bearers went from 118 to 106 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 11,199 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #152,339.
FAQ
Wabnitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wabnitz?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Wabnitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Wabnitz?
Wabnitz ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Wabnitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Wabnitz.
Has Wabnitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wabnitz went from 118 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Wabnitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wabnitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Wabnitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wabnitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Wabnitz (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 Wabnitz mean?
A surname originating from a place name derived from the Slavic words "vaba" meaning "allurement" and "nitz" meaning "low areas." 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 Wabnitz (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 have the last name Wabnitz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Wabnitz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.