2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Warheit
A German surname derived from the word "Wahrheit" meaning truth or reality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Warheit. 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 Warheit 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 Warheit 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 Warheit, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warheit
The surname Warheit originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German words "wahr" meaning true or honest, and "heit" meaning a state or quality, essentially translating to "truthfulness" or "honesty." The name was likely initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname, reflecting the character or profession of an individual perceived as trustworthy.
Warheit is believed to have first emerged in the region of Saxony, where it is documented in historical records dating back to the late medieval period. One of the earliest known mentions of the name appears in a land registry from the town of Halle in 1278, referring to a certain "Johannes Warheit."
Throughout the Middle Ages, variants of the name such as Warhait, Warheyt, and Warheit were common in various regions of Germany, as spelling conventions were not yet standardized. The surname is also linked to several place names, including Warheiden and Warheide, which may have influenced its development in certain areas.
Notable individuals bearing the Warheit surname include Johann Warheit (1532-1599), a German theologian and Lutheran reformer who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another prominent figure was Christoph Warheit (1620-1683), a German jurist and author who published several influential legal treatises.
In the 18th century, Johannes Warheit (1712-1787) was a respected physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology. His extensive collection of plant and animal specimens is still preserved in various museums today.
Stepping into the 19th century, Wilhelm Warheit (1824-1892) was a German painter and etcher, known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in the Rhineland region. His works are featured in numerous art galleries across Europe.
One of the more recent notable individuals with the Warheit surname was Hans Warheit (1899-1976), a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the former headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
While the Warheit name has maintained a presence in Germany and other parts of Europe, it has also been carried by individuals who immigrated to various regions around the world, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warheit
Among Census respondents with the surname Warheit, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Warheit 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 Warheit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warheit
Warheit 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,400 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,400 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Warheit 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warheit bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Warheit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warheit?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Warheit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Warheit?
Warheit 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 Warheit. 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 Warheit.
Has Warheit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warheit went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Warheit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warheit, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Warheit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warheit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Warheit (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 Warheit mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Wahrheit" meaning truth or reality. 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 Warheit (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 Americans have the surname Warheit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.