2000
#80,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Waidner
A surname derived from a German word meaning "forester" or someone who lives near a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Waidner. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waidner 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Waidner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waidner
The surname Waidner has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Weide," meaning "willow" or "pasture," and "Ner," which was a common occupational suffix denoting a person who worked with or lived near willows or pastures.
In the early days, the surname was often spelled in various ways, such as Weidner, Weitner, or Weidtner, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The earliest known record of the name Waidner appears in the parish records of the town of Saxony in 1562, where a certain Johann Waidner was listed as a landowner.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Waidner surname was Hans Waidner, a renowned clockmaker born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1598. His intricate and ornate clocks were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
During the 17th century, the Waidner name appeared in several historical documents, including the tax records of the city of Munich in 1629, where a family by the name of Waidner was listed as residents.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Johann Friedrich Waidner, born in 1732 in Bamberg, Germany. He was a respected scholar and theologian who wrote several treatises on religious philosophy and ethics.
Another noteworthy individual was Maria Waidner, born in 1799 in Vienna, Austria. She was a celebrated opera singer who performed in some of the most prestigious theaters across Europe during the early 19th century.
As the Waidner family spread across different regions of Germany and neighboring countries, the name evolved into various spellings and pronunciations. For instance, in the region of Alsace, which was part of France at the time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Weidner."
Throughout history, the Waidner surname has been associated with various occupations, from farmers and landowners to artisans and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waidner
Among Census respondents with the surname Waidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Waidner 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 Waidner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waidner
Waidner 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-118 bearers (-53.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 78,216 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,675 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,216 | 220 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -118 bearers (-53.6%) | Down 78,216 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 12,675 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 Waidner 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 | #158,432 | #145,757 | 8.0% |
| Count | 102 | 115 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waidner bearers went from 102 to 115 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 12,675 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,757.
FAQ
Waidner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waidner?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Waidner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Waidner?
Waidner ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Waidner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Waidner.
Has Waidner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waidner went from 102 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 13 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Waidner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Waidner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waidner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Waidner (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 Waidner mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "forester" or someone who lives near a forest. 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 Waidner (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 Waidner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.