2000
#6,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Weitzel
A German habitational surname derived from places named Weitzel, likely meaning "wide valley" or "wide dell."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,034 Americans carry the last name Weitzel. That puts it at #7,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weitzel 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
5.0K
1 in 68,088
Census rank
#7,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,390 bearers of the surname Weitzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weitzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weitzel
The surname Weitzel originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "weitzel," which means "little meadow" or "small pasture." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near or owned a small meadow or pastureland.
The Weitzel name has its roots in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was also present in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic, reflecting the historical migrations of German populations in Central Europe.
Historical records mention the Weitzel name as early as the 16th century. One of the earliest known references is found in the church records of Saxony, where a Johann Weitzel was documented in 1568. Another early mention is from the town of Nürnberg in Bavaria, where a Michael Weitzel was recorded in 1592.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various German-language manuscripts and documents, including tax records and property deeds. For example, a Hans Weitzel was listed as a landowner in the village of Oberlössnitz near Dresden in 1632.
Notable individuals with the Weitzel surname throughout history include:
1. Johann Weitzel (1638-1703), a German composer and organist from Saxony.
2. Christian Weitzel (1745-1819), a Prussian military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Godfrey Weitzel (1835-1884), a Union Army general during the American Civil War.
4. August Weitzel (1856-1938), a German-American architect known for his works in New Orleans.
5. Rudolf Weitzel (1909-1988), a German physicist and engineer who contributed to the development of radar technology.
The Weitzel name has also been associated with various place names and older spellings of locations in Germany and neighboring regions. For instance, the town of Weizelsdorf in Bavaria was originally known as "Weitzelsdorf" in medieval times, likely derived from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weitzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Weitzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Weitzel 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 Weitzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 4,098
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 133
- Two or more races2.5% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weitzel
Weitzel 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
#7,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,569
-288 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 847 places
2020
#7,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,390
-179 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,448 | 4,857 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,295 | 4,569 | 1.55 | -288 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 847 places |
| 2020 | #7,318 | 4,390 | 1.47 | -179 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 23 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 Weitzel 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 | #7,295 | #7,318 | -0.3% |
| Count | 4,569 | 4,390 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.47 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weitzel bearers went from 4,569 to 4,390 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,295 to #7,318.
FAQ
Weitzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weitzel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,034 living Americans carry the surname Weitzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,088 residents.
How common is Weitzel?
Weitzel ranks #7,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,390 people with the surname Weitzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,034), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Weitzel.
Has Weitzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weitzel went from 4,569 recorded bearers to 4,390. That is a decrease of 179 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,295 to #7,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Weitzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weitzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Weitzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (4,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weitzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Weitzel (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 Weitzel mean?
A German habitational surname derived from places named Weitzel, likely meaning "wide valley" or "wide dell." 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 Weitzel (1.47 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 people share the surname Weitzel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.