2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wegele
A surname of possible German origin indicating someone from a small settlement or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Wegele. 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 Wegele 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 Wegele 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 Wegele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wegele
The surname WEGELE is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages in the southern regions of Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "weg," meaning "way" or "path," combined with the diminutive suffix "-ele," indicating a small or diminished form.
One of the earliest documented references to the WEGELE surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and records from the region of Swabia, dated around the 13th century. This early mention suggests that the name may have originated from a topographical feature or a specific location related to a path or small road.
During the 14th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers in the towns of Augsburg and Ulm, two prominent cities in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, respectively. This indicates that families bearing the WEGELE surname were well-established in these regions during the late medieval period.
Notable individuals with the WEGELE surname include Johann Christoph Wegele (1663-1732), a renowned German painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his religious and allegorical works. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wegele (1791-1858), a German historian and professor at the University of Freiburg, who authored several influential works on the history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 19th century, Carl Wegele (1826-1897), a German botanist and explorer, made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South America. His extensive collections and research on the flora of Brazil and Argentina are housed in various botanical institutions worldwide.
More recently, Maximilian Wegele (1910-1995), a German journalist and author, gained recognition for his coverage of World War II and his insightful biographical works on notable figures such as Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
While the WEGELE surname is relatively uncommon outside of Germany, it has maintained a strong presence in its regions of origin, particularly in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it continues to be associated with a rich historical and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wegele
Among Census respondents with the surname Wegele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wegele 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 Wegele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wegele
Wegele 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-17 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,081 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 20,081 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,463 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 Wegele 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 | #133,048 | #143,511 | -7.9% |
| Count | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wegele bearers went from 127 to 118 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #143,511.
FAQ
Wegele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wegele?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Wegele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Wegele?
Wegele 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 Wegele. 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 Wegele.
Has Wegele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wegele went from 127 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Wegele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wegele, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Wegele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wegele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Wegele (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 Wegele mean?
A surname of possible German origin indicating someone from a small settlement or village. 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 Wegele (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 are called Wegele?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Wegele on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.