2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Weirather
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a weir or dam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Weirather. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weirather 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Weirather in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weirather, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weirather
The surname WEIRATHER is believed to have originated in the Bavarian region of Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "weier" meaning pond or small lake, and "rath" meaning counsellor or adviser. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a pond or provided counsel in such an area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WEIRATHER name dates back to the 14th century, appearing in a medieval manuscript from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. This document mentions a "Hans Weirather" who was a local landowner and respected member of the community.
In the 16th century, the name WEIRATHER can be found in various records from the region around Nuremberg, including mentions of a "Georg Weirather" who was a skilled craftsman and merchant born in 1523. Around this time, variations of the spelling such as "Weyerather" and "Weyrather" also began to appear.
A notable individual with the WEIRATHER surname was Johann Weirather (1589-1659), a Bavarian theologian and priest who served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt. His writings on religious philosophy and ethics were influential during the Counter-Reformation period.
In the 18th century, a branch of the WEIRATHER family migrated to the Tyrol region of Austria, where the name gained prominence. One member, Andreas Weirather (1745-1817), became a respected Alpine guide and mountain climber, renowned for his expert knowledge of the local terrain.
Another significant figure was Katharina Weirather (1806-1892), a pioneering educator from the town of Schwaz in Tyrol. She founded one of the region's first schools for girls, challenging traditional gender norms of the time.
As the WEIRATHER name spread across Europe, it maintained strong ties to its Bavarian and Tyrolean origins, with many individuals continuing to work in professions related to the land, such as farming, forestry, and mountain guiding.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weirather
Among Census respondents with the surname Weirather, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Weirather 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 Weirather surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 110
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weirather
Weirather 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+4 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,020 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-18 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 5,020 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 17,240 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 Weirather 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 | #132,206 | #149,446 | -13.0% |
| Count | 128 | 110 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weirather bearers went from 128 to 110 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 17,240 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #149,446.
FAQ
Weirather surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weirather?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Weirather. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Weirather?
Weirather ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Weirather. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Weirather.
Has Weirather become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weirather went from 128 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Weirather?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weirather, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Weirather in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weirather appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Weirather (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 Weirather mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a weir or dam. 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 Weirather (0.04 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 Weirather?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Weirather at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.