2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Weisiger
A German surname derived from the word "weise" meaning "wise".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 251 Americans carry the last name Weisiger. That puts it at #90,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,365,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weisiger 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
251
1 in 1,365,555
Census rank
#90,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
219
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 219 bearers of the surname Weisiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weisiger
The surname Weisiger has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, a state in southeastern Germany. The name is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "wisi," meaning "meadow" or "pasture," and the suffix "-ger," which is indicative of a place or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Weisiger surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Bavaria, dating back to the 12th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Weisiger residing in various towns and villages across the Bavarian countryside.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Weisiger name appeared in various historical records and documents from the German states. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johannes Weisiger, a renowned scholar and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived between 1325 and 1398.
As the centuries progressed, the Weisiger family spread beyond the borders of Germany. In the 16th century, records show that members of the Weisiger family had settled in the neighboring regions of Austria and Switzerland. One prominent figure from this era was Hans Weisiger, a merchant and trader from Innsbruck, Austria, who lived from 1520 to 1587.
In the 17th century, the Weisiger surname gained prominence in the New World, as some families emigrated from Europe to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Weisiger name in the Americas is that of Johann Weisiger, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 1600s.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Weisiger name continued to spread across various regions of Europe and North America. Notable individuals from this period include Friedrich Weisiger, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1781 to 1846, and William Weisiger, an American soldier and politician from Virginia, who served in the American Civil War and lived from 1828 to 1899.
In more recent times, the Weisiger surname has been associated with several accomplished individuals in various fields. These include William G. Weisiger, an American businessman and philanthropist from Kentucky, who lived from 1906 to 1992, and Frank Weisiger, a renowned American architect known for his work in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weisiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Weisiger 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 Weisiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 14
- Two or more races2.7% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weisiger
Weisiger 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
#86,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
+20 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,844 places
2020
#90,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+5 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,538 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,981 | 214 | 0.07 | +20 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,844 places |
| 2020 | #90,519 | 219 | 0.07 | +5 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 3,538 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 Weisiger 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 | #86,981 | #90,519 | -4.1% |
| Count | 214 | 219 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weisiger bearers went from 214 to 219 (+2.3% change). The surname moved down 3,538 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,981 to #90,519.
FAQ
Weisiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weisiger?
Name Census estimates that about 251 living Americans carry the surname Weisiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,365,555 residents.
How common is Weisiger?
Weisiger ranks #90,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 219 people with the surname Weisiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Weisiger.
Has Weisiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weisiger went from 214 recorded bearers to 219. That is an increase of 5 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,981 to #90,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Weisiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Weisiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weisiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Weisiger (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 Weisiger mean?
A German surname derived from the word "weise" meaning "wise". 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 Weisiger (0.07 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 Weisiger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Weisiger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.