2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wachner
Of German origin, an occupational surname for a watchman or night guard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Wachner. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wachner 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Wachner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wachner
The surname WACHNER originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "wachen," meaning "to watch" or "to guard," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a watchman or guard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WACHNER appears in a document from the town of Saxony in 1543, which mentions a certain Johann Wachner. It is likely that the name was originally a descriptive surname, given to someone whose occupation involved keeping watch or guarding a specific area or property.
In the 17th century, the name WACHNER can be found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Württemberg. During this time, surnames were becoming more standardized, and the spelling of WACHNER likely solidified into its current form.
Notable individuals with the surname WACHNER throughout history include Friedrich Wachner (1792-1861), a German composer and music teacher, and Heinrich Wachner (1836-1905), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag.
Another prominent figure was Max Wachner (1875-1944), an Austrian architect known for his work in Vienna during the early 20th century. His notable projects include the Café Museum and the Palais Stoclet.
In the 19th century, the WACHNER surname also made its way to the United States through German immigration. One notable American with this surname was Joseph Wachner (1855-1923), a prominent architect based in California who designed several notable buildings in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Additionally, the name WACHNER appeared in various forms throughout history, with variations such as Wachner, Wachener, and Wächner, reflecting regional spelling differences and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wachner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wachner 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 Wachner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wachner
Wachner 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,636 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,636 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Wachner 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 | #150,452 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wachner bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Wachner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wachner?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Wachner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Wachner?
Wachner ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Wachner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Wachner.
Has Wachner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wachner went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Wachner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Wachner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wachner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Wachner (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 Wachner mean?
Of German origin, an occupational surname for a watchman or night guard. 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 Wachner (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 Wachner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.