2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Weerheim
A surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning "home on a small island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Weerheim. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weerheim 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Weerheim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weerheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weerheim
The surname Weerheim is of Dutch origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "weer" meaning "again" and "heim" meaning "home" or "dwelling place." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location where people resettled or returned to after a period of absence.
One of the earliest documented references to the Weerheim surname can be traced back to the 14th century, where it appeared in records from the town of Dordrecht in the western Netherlands. During this time, the name was occasionally spelled as "Wereheim" or "Weerheym," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in earlier periods.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jan Weerheim (1495-1572) was recorded as a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Amsterdam. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the city's mercantile and political affairs over the following centuries.
Another historical figure bearing this surname was Willem Weerheim (1629-1698), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and landscape works. His paintings can be found in various museums across the Netherlands, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Weerheim name appeared in various Dutch colonial records, indicating that some individuals with this surname may have participated in the Dutch East India Company's trading activities or settled in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).
In the 19th century, a prominent Dutch architect named Johannes Weerheim (1816-1892) gained recognition for his design of several notable buildings, including the Westerkerk in Amsterdam and the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.
Another notable individual with this surname was Pieter Weerheim (1872-1944), a Dutch politician and journalist who served as a member of the House of Representatives and played a role in the formation of the Dutch Labor Party (SDAP).
While the Weerheim surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural diffusion. However, its roots can be traced back to the Dutch-speaking regions of the Low Countries, where it first emerged and gained prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weerheim
Among Census respondents with the surname Weerheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weerheim 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 Weerheim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 97
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weerheim
Weerheim 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,800 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-17 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,574 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,800 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 13,574 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 Weerheim 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 | #142,108 | #155,682 | -9.6% |
| Count | 117 | 100 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weerheim bearers went from 117 to 100 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 13,574 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #155,682.
FAQ
Weerheim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weerheim?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Weerheim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Weerheim?
Weerheim ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Weerheim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Weerheim.
Has Weerheim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weerheim went from 117 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Weerheim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weerheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Weerheim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weerheim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Black (2.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Weerheim (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 Weerheim mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning "home on a small island." 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 Weerheim (0.03 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 Weerheim?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.