2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Weichelt
A locational surname originating from a specific place or town name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 233 Americans carry the last name Weichelt. That puts it at #96,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,471,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weichelt 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
233
1 in 1,471,049
Census rank
#96,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
203
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 203 bearers of the surname Weichelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weichelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weichelt
The surname Weichelt is of German origin, and its earliest records date back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "wich," meaning a bay or inlet, and the suffix "-elt," which denotes a location or area. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a specific place name where the first bearers of the surname resided, likely near a bay or inlet along the northern coast of Germany.
One of the earliest known records of the name Weichelt can be found in the church records of the town of Anklam, located in the Western Pomerania region of Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention individuals with the surname Weichelt living and working in the area.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Weichelt name appears in various documents and records from the regions of Pomerania and Brandenburg in northern Germany. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Weichelt (1618-1681), a Lutheran theologian and author from Brandenburg, and Hans Weichelt (1675-1738), a merchant and landowner from the town of Pasewalk in Pomerania.
As the centuries progressed, the Weichelt name spread to other parts of Germany and Europe, with some individuals finding success in various fields. For instance, Emil Weichelt (1833-1909) was a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure was Karl Weichelt (1875-1952), a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of electrical engineering and radio technology. He held several patents and was recognized for his work in the field of wireless communication.
In the 20th century, the Weichelt name gained further recognition with individuals like Erich Weichelt (1903-1977), a German author and playwright who wrote several notable works, including the play "Der Bürger von Calais" (The Citizen of Calais).
While these examples represent a small fraction of those who have borne the surname Weichelt throughout history, they serve to illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name of German origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weichelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Weichelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weichelt 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 Weichelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 193
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weichelt
Weichelt 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
#115,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
+14 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,801 places
2020
#96,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
+51 bearers (+33.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 18,841 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,034 | 152 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,801 places |
| 2020 | #96,193 | 203 | 0.07 | +51 bearers (+33.6%) | Up 18,841 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 Weichelt 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 | #115,034 | #96,193 | 16.4% |
| Count | 152 | 203 | 33.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.07 | 35.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weichelt bearers went from 152 to 203 (+33.6% change). The surname moved up 18,841 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,034 to #96,193.
FAQ
Weichelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weichelt?
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the surname Weichelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,471,049 residents.
How common is Weichelt?
Weichelt ranks #96,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 203 people with the surname Weichelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Weichelt.
Has Weichelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weichelt went from 152 recorded bearers to 203. That is an increase of 51 (+33.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #115,034 to #96,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Weichelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weichelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) 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 Weichelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weichelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), 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 Weichelt (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 Weichelt mean?
A locational surname originating from a specific place or town name. 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 Weichelt (0.07 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 Weichelt?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Weichelt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.