2000
#5,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Weil
Derived from a German topographic name referring to someone living near a body of stagnant water or pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,195 Americans carry the last name Weil. That puts it at #5,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,638 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weil 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,638
Census rank
#5,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,274 bearers of the surname Weil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weil
The surname Weil is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "wil" meaning "will" or "desire". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name for someone who was stubborn or strong-willed.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Weil can be traced back to the 12th century in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Black Forest and along the Rhine River. In historical records, the name is often found spelled in various ways, such as Weyl, Wiele, and Wiele.
One of the earliest known references to the name Weil is found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 13th century, where a person named Heinricus Weil is mentioned in a land transaction.
In the 14th century, the name Weil appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493, suggesting that the name was well-established by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Weil throughout history include Johann Weil (1458-1522), a German theologian and reformer who was a contemporary of Martin Luther. Another prominent figure was André Weil (1906-1998), a influential French mathematician known for his contributions to number theory and algebraic geometry.
Other notable Weils include Simone Weil (1909-1943), a French philosopher and activist who wrote extensively on topics such as social justice and spirituality. Gustav Weil (1808-1889) was a German-Jewish Orientalist and historian who made significant contributions to the study of Arabic literature and Islamic history.
In the realm of literature, the surname Weil is associated with the American author Simone Weil (1923-2017), who wrote several acclaimed novels exploring themes of identity and belonging.
While the name Weil is most commonly found in Germany and other parts of Central Europe, it has also spread to other regions through migration and has been adopted by families of diverse backgrounds over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weil
Among Census respondents with the surname Weil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Weil 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 Weil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,714
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 248
- Two or more races2.7% · 168
- Black or African American1.0% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weil
Weil 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
#5,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,455
+117 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#5,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,274
-181 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,079 | 6,338 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,390 | 6,455 | 2.19 | +117 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #5,365 | 6,274 | 2.10 | -181 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 25 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 Weil 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 | #5,390 | #5,365 | 0.5% |
| Count | 6,455 | 6,274 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.10 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weil bearers went from 6,455 to 6,274 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,390 to #5,365.
FAQ
Weil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weil?
Name Census estimates that about 7,195 living Americans carry the surname Weil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,638 residents.
How common is Weil?
Weil ranks #5,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,274 people with the surname Weil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Weil.
Has Weil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weil went from 6,455 recorded bearers to 6,274. That is a decrease of 181 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,390 to #5,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Weil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Weil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Weil (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 Weil mean?
Derived from a German topographic name referring to someone living near a body of stagnant water or pond. 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 Weil (2.10 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 Weil?
Find out how many people have the surname Weil on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.