2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Weides
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to a clearing or glade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Weides. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weides 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Weides in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weides, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weides
The surname Weides is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Weide," which means "willow" or "pasture," likely referring to someone who lived near a willow grove or pasture land.
In the 15th century, records show the name spelled as "Weydes" in various historical documents and parish registers from the town of Augsburg in Bavaria. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1472, when a man named Hans Weydes was mentioned in a local tax register.
During the 16th century, the name began to appear in other parts of Germany, such as Saxony and Hesse, with variations like "Weidess" and "Weydess." In 1587, a man named Johann Weidess was born in the town of Erfurt, and he later became a renowned scholar and theologian, publishing several works on religious philosophy.
The Weides surname also gained recognition in the 17th century, with notable individuals like Peter Weides (1623-1678), a German composer and organist who served at the Marienkirche in Lübeck. Another prominent figure was Johann Adam Weides (1679-1736), a German painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
In the 18th century, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One notable bearer was Willem Weides (1742-1819), a Dutch politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the United States during the early years of the American Republic.
As the name continued to disperse throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world, such as North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was in 1795, when a man named Jacob Weides was listed in the tax records of Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the Weides surname include Johann Friedrich Weides (1811-1892), a German composer and music teacher who worked in Leipzig, and Heinrich Weides (1857-1932), a German architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weides
Among Census respondents with the surname Weides, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Weides 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 Weides surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weides
Weides appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,675 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 12,675 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 Weides 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 | #158,432 | #145,757 | 8.0% |
| Count | 102 | 115 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weides bearers went from 102 to 115 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 12,675 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,757.
FAQ
Weides surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weides?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Weides. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Weides?
Weides ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Weides. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Weides.
Has Weides become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weides went from 102 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 13 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Weides?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weides, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Weides in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weides appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Weides (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 Weides mean?
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to a clearing or glade. 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 Weides (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 have the last name Weides?
Want to know how many people are called Weides? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.