2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wellemeyer
A habitational name from a place in Germany whose name is derived from a source or spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Wellemeyer. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wellemeyer 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Wellemeyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wellemeyer
The surname Wellemeyer is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century. The name is thought to derive from the Old High German words "welle" and "mayer," which translates to "wave meadow." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a meadow or field that was prone to flooding or had a winding stream running through it.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wellemeyer can be found in the historical records of the city of Bremen in northern Germany, dated around the mid-15th century. These records mention a family by the name of Wellemeyer residing in the city during that time period.
The Wellemeyer name also appears in several 16th-century manuscripts, including a court document from the town of Münster in Westphalia, which mentions a prominent merchant named Hans Wellemeyer who was involved in a legal dispute over trade rights.
In the 17th century, the name Wellemeyer was associated with a family of wealthy landowners in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate. One notable member of this family was Johann Wellemeyer, a successful vintner and vineyard owner who lived in the town of Oppenheim from 1628 to 1702.
During the 18th century, the Wellemeyer name gained recognition in the field of academia. Friedrich Wellemeyer, born in 1721 in the city of Hanover, was a renowned scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Göttingen. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely studied and debated throughout Europe during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Wellemeyer was Wilhelm Wellemeyer, a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the design and reconstruction of several cities in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1817 in the city of Münster and was renowned for his innovative approaches to urban planning and the incorporation of green spaces into city designs.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Wellemeyer throughout history, demonstrating the long-standing presence and significance of this name in various regions of Germany and across various fields of endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wellemeyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wellemeyer 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 Wellemeyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wellemeyer
Wellemeyer 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,262 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 21,262 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,407 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 Wellemeyer 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 | #152,628 | #147,221 | 3.5% |
| Count | 107 | 113 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wellemeyer bearers went from 107 to 113 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,221.
FAQ
Wellemeyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wellemeyer?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Wellemeyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Wellemeyer?
Wellemeyer ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Wellemeyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wellemeyer.
Has Wellemeyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wellemeyer went from 107 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Wellemeyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Wellemeyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wellemeyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Wellemeyer (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 Wellemeyer mean?
A habitational name from a place in Germany whose name is derived from a source or spring. 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 Wellemeyer (0.04 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 Wellemeyer?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Wellemeyer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.