2000
#13,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Weigle
Derived from the Middle High German word "weigel," meaning a flautist or piper, likely referring to an occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,168 Americans carry the last name Weigle. That puts it at #15,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weigle 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
2.2K
1 in 158,097
Census rank
#15,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,891 bearers of the surname Weigle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weigle
The surname Weigle is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "wigel," which means "wedge" or "cone." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who worked with wedges or lived near a wedge-shaped piece of land.
In the 14th century, the name Weigle appeared in various records and manuscripts from the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. One of the earliest recorded examples is from a document dated 1375, which mentions a Johann Weigle from the town of Augsburg.
The name Weigle has also been associated with place names, such as Weiler, a village in the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. It is possible that the surname originated as a locational name for someone who lived near or came from this village.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Weigle. One of the earliest was Johann Philipp Weigle (1655-1725), a German jurist and legal scholar from Nuremberg. Another prominent figure was Johann Georg Weigle (1766-1846), a German theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen.
In the 19th century, Christian Friedrich Weigle (1803-1876) was a German-American clergyman and educator who served as the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He played a significant role in the development of the Lutheran Church in America.
Carl Ferdinand Weigle (1845-1921) was a German-American publisher and editor who founded the publishing company C.F. Weigle & Son in New York City. The company specialized in printing religious and educational materials.
Another notable figure was Gerhard Weigle (1890-1968), a German-American Lutheran minister and theologian who served as the president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He made important contributions to the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and biblical exegesis.
The surname Weigle has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, clergymen, publishers, and educators. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weigle
Among Census respondents with the surname Weigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weigle 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 Weigle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,758
- Two or more races3.1% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weigle
Weigle 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
#12,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
+478 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 1,292 places
2020
#15,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,891
-634 bearers (-25.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 2,689 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,604 | 2,047 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,312 | 2,525 | 0.86 | +478 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 1,292 places |
| 2020 | #15,001 | 1,891 | 0.63 | -634 bearers (-25.1%) | Down 2,689 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 Weigle 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 | #12,312 | #15,001 | -21.8% |
| Count | 2,525 | 1,891 | -25.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.63 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weigle bearers went from 2,525 to 1,891 (-25.1% change). The surname moved down 2,689 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,312 to #15,001.
FAQ
Weigle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weigle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,168 living Americans carry the surname Weigle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,097 residents.
How common is Weigle?
Weigle ranks #15,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,891 people with the surname Weigle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Weigle.
Has Weigle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weigle went from 2,525 recorded bearers to 1,891. That is a decrease of 634 (-25.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,312 to #15,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Weigle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Weigle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weigle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Weigle (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 Weigle mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "weigel," meaning a flautist or piper, likely referring to an occupation. 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 Weigle (0.63 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 Weigle?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Weigle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.