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

Weier, 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 Weier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weier in America

Weier is the 21717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weier surname appeared 1,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Weier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weier 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 Weier

The surname WEIER is of German origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have originated in southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old German word "weier," which means "pond" or "small lake."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WEIER can be found in the Heidelberg Tax Records of 1387, where a certain Hainrich Weier is mentioned as a resident of the city. The name's connection to a body of water suggests that the original bearers of this surname may have lived near or owned property adjacent to a pond or small lake.

In the 15th century, the name WEIER appears in various historical records from the region, such as the Augsburg City Archives, where a Johannes Weier is documented as a merchant in 1472. This indicates that the name had already spread to different parts of southern Germany by that time.

Among notable individuals who bore the surname WEIER, one can mention Johann Weier (1515-1588), a renowned physician and occultist from the Duchy of Cleves. He gained fame for his work on demonology and the treatment of mental illnesses, which were often attributed to demonic possession during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent figure was Christoph Weier (1652-1708), a German jurist and legal scholar from Württemberg. He served as a professor of law at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on criminal law and legal theory.

In the 18th century, the name WEIER can be found in various church records and municipal archives across southern Germany. One noteworthy individual from this period was Johann Friedrich Weier (1719-1789), a Lutheran theologian and philosopher from Saxony, who made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and natural philosophy.

Moving into the 19th century, the WEIER surname gained more widespread recognition with individuals like Karl Weier (1806-1864), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works. He studied at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and had several of his pieces displayed in various galleries throughout Europe.

Another prominent figure from this era was Wilhelm Weier (1826-1896), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag, representing the German Progress Party. He played an active role in the political debates surrounding the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weier

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!