2000
#10,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,694
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Wehr
A German occupational surname referring to someone who operates a weir or dam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,991 Americans carry the last name Wehr. That puts it at #11,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wehr 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
3.0K
1 in 114,595
Census rank
#11,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,608 bearers of the surname Wehr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wehr
The surname Wehr traces its origins to Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old German word "wer," meaning "defense" or "protection." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a defensive fortification or worked as a guard or soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wehr surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dated around the 12th century. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time.
During the 13th century, the name Wehr appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Rhineland region of Germany. For example, a certain Henricus Wehr was mentioned in a deed from the city of Cologne in 1235.
The surname Wehr is also related to several place names in Germany, such as Wehr in Baden-Württemberg and Wehr an der Mosel in Rhineland-Palatinate. These locations may have influenced the spread and variations of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Wehr throughout history include:
1. Johann Wehr (1585-1644), a German Lutheran theologian and author.
2. Christian Wehr (1696-1764), a German architect who worked on several churches and palaces in Saxony.
3. Georg Wehr (1758-1835), a German writer and philosopher known for his works on aesthetics and ethics.
4. Wilhelm Wehr (1826-1888), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) in the late 19th century.
5. Hans Wehr (1909-1981), a German-American scholar and author of the famous Arabic-English dictionary, "A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic."
The name Wehr has been well-documented throughout German history, reflecting its longstanding presence in various regions of the country. While its exact origins may be debated, the surname's connection to concepts of defense and protection offers a glimpse into the lives and occupations of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wehr
Among Census respondents with the surname Wehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wehr 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 Wehr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,398
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 97
- Two or more races3.1% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wehr
Wehr 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
#11,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,753
+59 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 580 places
2020
#11,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,608
-145 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,860 | 2,694 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,440 | 2,753 | 0.93 | +59 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 580 places |
| 2020 | #11,534 | 2,608 | 0.87 | -145 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 94 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 Wehr 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 | #11,440 | #11,534 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,753 | 2,608 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.87 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wehr bearers went from 2,753 to 2,608 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,440 to #11,534.
FAQ
Wehr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wehr?
Name Census estimates that about 2,991 living Americans carry the surname Wehr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,595 residents.
How common is Wehr?
Wehr ranks #11,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,608 people with the surname Wehr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,991), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wehr.
Has Wehr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wehr went from 2,753 recorded bearers to 2,608. That is a decrease of 145 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,440 to #11,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Wehr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wehr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wehr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wehr (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 Wehr mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who operates a weir or dam. 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 Wehr (0.87 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 share the surname Wehr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.