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

Wehner, 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 Wehner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wehner in America

Wehner is the 9440th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wehner surname appeared 3,446 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wehner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wehner 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 Wehner

The surname Wehner is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, which was once a medieval duchy in present-day eastern Germany. Wehner is derived from the Old High German word "werna," meaning "to defend" or "to protect." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a guard or protector.

The earliest known record of the name Wehner appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a person named "Wernhero de Rochlitz" from the town of Rochlitz, which is located in the modern-day state of Saxony, Germany.

During the 14th century, the name Wehner was found in various records from the city of Leipzig, which was an important trading center in the region of Saxony. These records include mentions of individuals such as Johann Wehner (born around 1320) and Hans Wehner (born around 1375), both of whom were merchants operating in the city.

In the 15th century, the name Wehner spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions. For example, there are records of a Caspar Wehner (born around 1450) who was a landowner in the region of Silesia, which is now part of Poland.

One notable figure with the surname Wehner was Johann Gottlob Wehner (1715-1790), a German composer and organist who was born in Saxony. He is best known for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of the German Baroque style.

Another important figure was Wilhelm Wehner (1821-1879), a German politician and journalist who played a significant role in the German revolutions of 1848-1849. He was a member of the Frankfurt Parliament and advocated for democratic reforms and the unification of Germany.

The name Wehner has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout Germany. For example, there is a town called Wehner in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which may have derived its name from the surname itself or vice versa.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Wener, Wenner, and Wähner, have also existed throughout the history of this surname. These variations may have occurred due to regional dialect differences or transcription errors in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wehner

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

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 Wehner 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 Wehner 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 Wehner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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