2000
#7,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Wanner
A habitational surname derived from places named Wangen, or an occupational name for a wagon maker or carter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,520 Americans carry the last name Wanner. That puts it at #8,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wanner 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
4.5K
1 in 75,831
Census rank
#8,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,942 bearers of the surname Wanner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wanner
The surname WANNER has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wanen," which means "to believe" or "to think." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered thoughtful or contemplative.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled as "Wanere" or "Wannere." It appeared in various medieval records and documents from regions such as Bavaria and Swabia. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Wanner, a landowner in the village of Oberschwarzach, who was mentioned in a deed from 1294.
The WANNER surname can also be traced back to certain place names in Germany, such as the town of Wanne-Eickel in the Ruhr region. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, various spelling variations emerged, including Waner, Wannere, and Wannerus. In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, where a merchant named Jorg Wanner was documented in 1467.
One of the earliest notable figures with the WANNER surname was Johann Wanner, a Protestant reformer and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1510. He played a significant role in the early days of the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another prominent individual was Johann Georg Wanner, a German architect and engineer who lived from 1592 to 1653. He was responsible for the design and construction of several important buildings in the city of Dresden, including the famous Zwinger Palace.
In the 18th century, Johann Baptist Wanner (1747-1815) was a renowned German composer and organist. He served as the court organist in Mannheim and was known for his contributions to the development of the Classical music style.
During the 19th century, Karl Friedrich Wanner (1807-1878) was a German painter and illustrator who specialized in historical scenes and landscapes. His works were widely acclaimed and can be found in numerous museums across Germany.
Another notable WANNER was Max Wanner (1842-1900), a German industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Wanner Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik, a successful manufacturing company that produced machine tools and equipment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wanner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wanner 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 Wanner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,668
- Two or more races3.0% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wanner
Wanner 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
#7,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,411
+556 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Up 426 places
2020
#8,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,942
-469 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,962 | 3,855 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,536 | 4,411 | 1.50 | +556 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 426 places |
| 2020 | #8,057 | 3,942 | 1.32 | -469 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 521 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 Wanner 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 | #7,536 | #8,057 | -6.9% |
| Count | 4,411 | 3,942 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.32 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wanner bearers went from 4,411 to 3,942 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 521 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,536 to #8,057.
FAQ
Wanner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wanner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,520 living Americans carry the surname Wanner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,831 residents.
How common is Wanner?
Wanner ranks #8,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,942 people with the surname Wanner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,520), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wanner.
Has Wanner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wanner went from 4,411 recorded bearers to 3,942. That is a decrease of 469 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,536 to #8,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Wanner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Wanner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wanner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Wanner (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 Wanner mean?
A habitational surname derived from places named Wangen, or an occupational name for a wagon maker or carter. 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 Wanner (1.32 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 Wanner?
You can see how many people are called Wanner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.