2000
#87,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Weisshaar
A German surname derived from "weiss" meaning "white" and "Haar" meaning "hair".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 247 Americans carry the last name Weisshaar. That puts it at #91,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,387,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weisshaar 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
247
1 in 1,387,669
Census rank
#91,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
215
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 215 bearers of the surname Weisshaar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisshaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weisshaar
The surname Weisshaar originates from Germany, deriving its roots from the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where many families bearing this name were established.
The name Weisshaar is a compound word, formed by combining the German words "weiss" meaning "white" and "haar" meaning "hair." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals with white or fair hair, a physical characteristic that distinguished them from others in their community.
Records indicate that variations of the name, such as Weisshaer and Weisshair, appeared in various historical documents dating back to the 13th century. One notable early mention is found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and records from the region of Baden-Württemberg, where a certain Hainrich Weisshair is recorded as a landowner in the year 1287.
In the 16th century, the name Weisshaar gained prominence in the town of Pforzheim, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Johannes Weisshaar (1498-1573), a respected goldsmith and jeweler, was a prominent figure in the town's thriving metalworking industry during this period.
Another notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Georg Weisshaar (1711-1779), a German theologian and philosopher from Nuremberg. His published works, including "Philosophia Sacra" and "Institutiones Hermeneuticae Sacrae," made significant contributions to the fields of theology and biblical interpretation.
The name Weisshaar also has ties to the town of Weisshaarhausen in the German state of Hesse, which may have derived its name from early settlers with the Weisshaar surname. One of the earliest known residents of this town was Hans Weisshaar, who is recorded as living there in the late 15th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Weisshaar surname was Carl August Weisshaar (1822-1899), a German novelist and playwright. His novel "Der Wildschütz" (The Poacher) and several of his plays were widely acclaimed and performed in theaters throughout Germany.
These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname Weisshaar who have left their mark on history, spanning various professions and time periods. The name's enduring presence in Germany and its rich historical background continue to make it a distinctive and meaningful surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weisshaar
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisshaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Weisshaar 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 Weisshaar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weisshaar
Weisshaar 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
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
+15 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 13 places
2020
#91,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 215
+2 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #87,348 | 198 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | +15 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 13 places |
| 2020 | #91,884 | 215 | 0.07 | +2 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 4,549 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 Weisshaar 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 | #87,335 | #91,884 | -5.2% |
| Count | 213 | 215 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weisshaar bearers went from 213 to 215 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 4,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #91,884.
FAQ
Weisshaar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weisshaar?
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the surname Weisshaar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,387,669 residents.
How common is Weisshaar?
Weisshaar ranks #91,884 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 215 people with the surname Weisshaar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (247), 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 Weisshaar.
Has Weisshaar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weisshaar went from 213 recorded bearers to 215. That is an increase of 2 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,335 to #91,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Weisshaar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weisshaar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.3%). 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 Weisshaar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weisshaar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.3%). 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 Weisshaar (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 Weisshaar mean?
A German surname derived from "weiss" meaning "white" and "Haar" meaning "hair". 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 Weisshaar (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 Weisshaar?
You can see how common the surname Weisshaar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.