2000
#4,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Weimer
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Weimar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,161 Americans carry the last name Weimer. That puts it at #4,297 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weimer 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
9.2K
1 in 37,415
Census rank
#4,297
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,989 bearers of the surname Weimer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4297th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weimer
The surname Weimer is believed to have originated in Germany and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the German word "weimer," which means a person from Weimar, a historic city in the modern-day state of Thuringia, Germany. The name is also sometimes spelled as Weymer or Weyman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Weimer dates back to the 13th century when it appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the Weimar region. It is possible that the name was associated with the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, a historically significant state in central Germany.
In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Weimer (1455-1528) was a German theologian and humanist scholar. He was born in the town of Weimar and later became a professor at the University of Erfurt, where he played a significant role in the intellectual life of the region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Weimer was Johann Paul Weimer (1723-1798), a German theologian and philosopher. He was born in Nuremberg and is known for his contributions to the field of moral philosophy and his works on the nature of human freedom.
In the 19th century, the surname Weimer was associated with the town of Weimar, which was a cultural and intellectual hub during the Weimar Classical period. This era saw the emergence of renowned figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), one of the most celebrated German writers and philosophers, who lived and worked in Weimar.
Carl Weimer (1829-1901) was a German composer and music teacher who was born in Weimar. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of music education in Germany during the late 19th century.
Additionally, the surname Weimer may have been influenced by various place names or older spellings of place names in Germany, such as Weinheim or Weinhausen, which could have contributed to variations in the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weimer
Among Census respondents with the surname Weimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Weimer 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 Weimer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 7,370
- Two or more races3.0% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
- Black or African American0.7% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weimer
Weimer 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
#4,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,050
-18 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 362 places
2020
#4,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,989
-61 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Up 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,048 | 8,068 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,410 | 8,050 | 2.73 | -18 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 362 places |
| 2020 | #4,297 | 7,989 | 2.67 | -61 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 113 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 Weimer 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 | #4,410 | #4,297 | 2.6% |
| Count | 8,050 | 7,989 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.67 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weimer bearers went from 8,050 to 7,989 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,410 to #4,297.
FAQ
Weimer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weimer?
Name Census estimates that about 9,161 living Americans carry the surname Weimer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,415 residents.
How common is Weimer?
Weimer ranks #4,297 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,989 people with the surname Weimer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Weimer.
Has Weimer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weimer went from 8,050 recorded bearers to 7,989. That is a decrease of 61 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,410 to #4,297.
What does the Census say about the background of Weimer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Weimer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (7,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weimer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Weimer (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 Weimer mean?
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Weimar. 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 Weimer (2.67 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 common is the surname Weimer?
Want to know how many people are called Weimer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.