Find out how popular the last name Wefer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wefer.

Wefer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wefer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wefer in America

Wefer is the 133863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wefer surname appeared 126 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wefer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wefer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wefer

The surname WEFER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German word "weber," which means "weaver." In the medieval times, many surnames were derived from occupations, and it is likely that the first person to bear this surname was a weaver by trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WEFER can be found in the Dortmund City Archives, where a document from the year 1327 mentions a person named Johannes Wefer. This suggests that the name was already in use in the 14th century in the region of Westphalia, which is now part of modern-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

During the 16th century, the WEFER name appeared in various records across Germany, including church registers and tax documents. For instance, a man named Heinrich Wefer was born in 1573 in the town of Lüdenscheid, which was part of the County of Mark at that time.

As the years progressed, the WEFER surname spread to other parts of Europe, often due to migration and trade. In the 17th century, a notable figure named Jakob Wefer (1601-1667) was a German theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Marburg.

In the 18th century, the name WEFER appeared in the records of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, where a merchant named Johann Wefer (1712-1786) was known for his successful trading ventures. Another notable person was the German botanist and physician Johann Baptist Wefer (1776-1830), who made significant contributions to the study of plant life.

In the 19th century, the WEFER name continued to be found across Germany and other parts of Europe. One noteworthy individual was the German playwright and novelist Karl Wefer (1844-1912), who gained recognition for his works exploring social issues of his time.

Throughout history, the WEFER surname has been associated with various occupations, from weavers and merchants to scholars and artists. While the spelling may have varied slightly in different regions, the name has maintained its connection to the ancient German word "weber," reflecting the occupation of weaving that shaped its origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wefer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wefer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wefer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wefer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wefer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wefer, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!