2000
#34,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Weihe
A surname derived from a German placename referring to someone from a specific location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 736 Americans carry the last name Weihe. That puts it at #37,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 465,699 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weihe 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
736
1 in 465,699
Census rank
#37,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
642
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 642 bearers of the surname Weihe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weihe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weihe
The surname Weihe originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word 'Wiha', meaning a sacred place or temple. The earliest known bearers of this name lived in the regions around the Weser River in Lower Saxony during the 12th century.
Historical records indicate that the name Weihe appeared in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the Archbishopric of Bremen, dated around 1250. This suggests that the family had already established itself in the area by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Weihe was Hermann von Weihe, a knight who lived in the 13th century. He was mentioned in a document from the Cistercian Abbey of Marienrode in Hanover, dated 1271.
In the 14th century, the Weihe family had a presence in the town of Weihe, which is now part of the city of Delmenhorst in Lower Saxony. This town likely derived its name from the same Old German word 'Wiha', indicating a possible connection to the family's origins.
Another notable figure was Johannes Weihe, a German theologian and reformer born in Weihe in 1483. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
During the 16th century, the surname Weihe was also found in other parts of Germany, such as Westphalia and Rhineland. One notable individual from this period was Eberhard Weihe, a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Westphalia, who lived from 1518 to 1586.
In the 17th century, the Weihe family had a presence in the city of Bremen, where they were involved in trade and commerce. A prominent member was Johann Weihe, a merchant and city councilor who lived from 1623 to 1692.
Overall, the surname Weihe has a rich history deeply rooted in the German regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. Its meaning is closely tied to the concept of sacred places or temples, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of its bearers throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weihe
Among Census respondents with the surname Weihe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Weihe 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 Weihe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 587
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 23
- Two or more races3.4% · 22
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weihe
Weihe 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
#35,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 640
+15 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 895 places
2020
#37,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 642
+2 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,308 | 625 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,203 | 640 | 0.22 | +15 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 895 places |
| 2020 | #37,317 | 642 | 0.21 | +2 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 2,114 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 Weihe 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 | #35,203 | #37,317 | -6.0% |
| Count | 640 | 642 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.21 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weihe bearers went from 640 to 642 (+0.3% change). The surname moved down 2,114 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,203 to #37,317.
FAQ
Weihe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weihe?
Name Census estimates that about 736 living Americans carry the surname Weihe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 465,699 residents.
How common is Weihe?
Weihe ranks #37,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 642 people with the surname Weihe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (736), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Weihe.
Has Weihe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weihe went from 640 recorded bearers to 642. That is an increase of 2 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,203 to #37,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Weihe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weihe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Weihe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weihe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Weihe (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 Weihe mean?
A surname derived from a German placename referring to someone from a specific location. 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 Weihe (0.21 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 surname Weihe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.