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

Weise, 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 Weise surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weise in America

Weise is the 8590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weise surname appeared 3,834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Weise.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weise 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 Weise

The surname WEISE has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "wis," meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone considered wise or learned.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WEISE is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during this period in the region that is now modern-day Germany.

In the 14th century, records from the town of Görlitz in Saxony mention a certain Nickel Weise, indicating the presence of the name in that area at the time. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles, such as the Chronica Principum Saxoniae, written in the 15th century.

One notable figure with the surname WEISE was Andreas Weise (1516-1599), a German humanist scholar and educator. He was born in Zittau, Saxony, and served as the rector of the Zittau Gymnasium for over 30 years, making significant contributions to the education system of his time.

Another distinguished individual with this surname was Christian Weise (1642-1708), a German writer, poet, and playwright. He was born in Zittau and is considered one of the most important figures of the German Baroque literature period. His works include satirical plays, novels, and educational writings.

In the 18th century, Johann Weise (1718-1784) was a German composer and organist from Saxony. He composed numerous works for the church and is particularly known for his organ compositions and chorale preludes.

During the 19th century, Karl Weise (1838-1916) was a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Börse (Stock Exchange) buildings.

The name WEISE has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Weisendorf, Weisenburg, and Weissenstadt, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weise

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

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 Weise 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 Weise 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 Weise was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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