Find out how popular the last name Weis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Weis.

Weis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Weis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weis in America

Weis is the 3645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weis surname appeared 9,750 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Weis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Weis

The surname WEIS has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wis," meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable," and was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered particularly intelligent or learned.

WEIS is believed to have originated in the southern German regions, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it was commonly found in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. Some variations of the spelling included Weys, Weiss, and Weyss, reflecting the regional dialects of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WEIS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Heinricus Weis" was mentioned in a charter dated 1285. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Weis, a scholar and theologian who lived in Nuremberg in the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name WEIS appeared in several notable works, including the Reformationsgeschichte, a chronicle of the Reformation by Johann Sleidan, where a certain "Matthias Weis" was mentioned as a supporter of Martin Luther. Another historical figure from this period was Christoph Weis, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1524 in Nuremberg.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Weissenburg (now known as Wissembourg) in Alsace, France, which was originally named after the Weis family who owned lands in the area.

Other notable bearers of the WEIS surname include:

1. Johann Baptist von Weis-Xenaretta (1745-1828), a German philosopher and poet.
2. Christian Samuel Weis (1742-1834), a German botanist and naturalist.
3. Johann Michael Weis (1619-1684), a German Jesuit theologian and writer.
4. Johannes Weis (1550-1598), a German Protestant theologian and author.
5. Friedrich Weis (1892-1962), a German writer and poet.

Throughout its history, the surname WEIS has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions and has also been carried to other parts of the world through migration, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and traditions associated with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Weis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Weis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Weis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Weis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Weis, please contact us.

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