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

Weiss, 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 Weiss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weiss in America

Weiss is the 587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weiss surname appeared 57,112 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Weiss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weiss 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 Weiss

The surname Weiss originated in Germany and German-speaking regions of Europe. It is derived from the German word 'weiss', which means 'white'. The name likely referred to someone with white hair, pale complexion, or perhaps even someone who worked with white materials or fabrics.

The earliest known records of the surname Weiss date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. It appeared in various forms such as Weys, Weyz, and Weyss, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a certain Heinrich Weyss in 1287.

The name Weiss also appears in the Bürgermeisterbuch, a historical record of the city of Nuremberg, where a Konrad Weiss is listed as a citizen in 1349.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Weiss. One of the earliest was Judah Loew ben Bezalel (c. 1520-1609), a prominent rabbi and philosopher from Prague, also known as the Maharal.

Another famous bearer of the name was Christian Samuel Weiss (1701-1785), a German theologian and biblical scholar known for his work on the New Testament.

In the 19th century, Johann Baptist Weiss (1820-1899) was a renowned German Catholic theologian and biblical scholar, best known for his contributions to the study of the Gospels.

The 20th century saw the rise of influential figures like Paul Weiss (1901-2002), an American philosopher and literary critic, and Peter Weiss (1916-1982), a German playwright, novelist, and filmmaker known for his works exploring the human condition and social injustice.

One of the most famous current bearers of the name is Michael Weiss, a renowned American figure skating analyst and commentator.

While the surname Weiss is predominantly found in German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weiss

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

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

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

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