2000
#10,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Weisberg
A Jewish surname derived from the German place name Weißberg, meaning "white mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,106 Americans carry the last name Weisberg. That puts it at #11,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,352 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weisberg 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 Weisberg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,352
Census rank
#11,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,709 bearers of the surname Weisberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weisberg
The surname Weisberg is of German origin, derived from the words "Weis" meaning white and "Berg" meaning mountain or hill, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely resided near a white mountain or hill. The name is thought to have originated in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Weisberg can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1387, where a certain Johann Weisberg was listed as a resident. In the 15th century, the name appeared in several other German towns and villages, such as Augsburg and Regensburg.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Weisberg name was found in various parts of Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Weissberg, Weissberger, and Weiszberg. One notable bearer of this name was Hans Weisberg (1543-1612), a prominent merchant and trader from Frankfurt.
In the 18th century, the name Weisberg began to spread across Europe as German families migrated to other regions. Some of the earliest instances of the name in other countries include Jacob Weisberg, who settled in the Dutch colony of Suriname in 1735, and Johann Weisberg, who immigrated to the United States in 1776 and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Weisberg include:
1. Heinrich Weisberg (1790-1867), a German philosopher and writer, known for his works on ethics and political theory.
2. Anna Weisberg (1855-1932), a Russian-born American author and activist, known for her writings on women's rights and social reform.
3. Gustav Weisberg (1876-1944), a German-born American architect, known for his work on several iconic buildings in New York City.
4. Fritz Weisberg (1905-1985), an Austrian-born American painter and sculptor, renowned for his abstract expressionist works.
5. Joseph Weisberg (born 1971), an American novelist and screenwriter, creator of the acclaimed TV series "The Americans."
While the surname Weisberg has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name found in various countries, each with their own unique stories and histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weisberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Weisberg 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 Weisberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,520
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 85
- Two or more races1.7% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 33
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weisberg
Weisberg 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
#11,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,876
-55 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 935 places
2020
#11,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,709
-167 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,119 | 2,931 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,054 | 2,876 | 0.97 | -55 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 935 places |
| 2020 | #11,173 | 2,709 | 0.91 | -167 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 119 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 Weisberg 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 | #11,054 | #11,173 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,876 | 2,709 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.91 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weisberg bearers went from 2,876 to 2,709 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,054 to #11,173.
FAQ
Weisberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weisberg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,106 living Americans carry the surname Weisberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,352 residents.
How common is Weisberg?
Weisberg ranks #11,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,709 people with the surname Weisberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Weisberg.
Has Weisberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weisberg went from 2,876 recorded bearers to 2,709. That is a decrease of 167 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,054 to #11,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Weisberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Weisberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weisberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Weisberg (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 Weisberg mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German place name Weißberg, meaning "white mountain." 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 Weisberg (0.91 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 Americans have the surname Weisberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.