2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Wellensiek
A surname likely derived from a German place name indicating an origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Wellensiek. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wellensiek 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Wellensiek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellensiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wellensiek
The surname WELLENSIEK has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "well" meaning "good" and "ensiek" which was a regional variation of the word "siek" meaning "small stream or brook". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small, good stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname WELLENSIEK can be found in a 1572 document from the town of Aachen, which mentions a "Hans WELLENSIEK". This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, there are records of a WELLENSIEK family living in the village of Schöndeln, near Aachen. A notable member of this family was Peter WELLENSIEK (1632-1702), who served as the village mayor for several years.
As the name spread beyond its original region, variations in spelling began to appear. In the 18th century, records from the city of Cologne show the name written as "WELLENSICK" and "WELLENSIK".
One of the earliest known WELLENSIEK immigrants to North America was Johann WELLENSIEK (1720-1787), who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He and his descendants continued to use the original German spelling of the name.
Other notable individuals with the surname WELLENSIEK include:
1. Friedrich WELLENSIEK (1801-1870), a German philosopher and author.
2. Anna WELLENSIEK (1848-1926), a prominent educator in the Rhineland region of Germany.
3. Wilhelm WELLENSIEK (1872-1942), a German architect known for his work in the Art Nouveau style.
4. Erich WELLENSIEK (1888-1976), a German physicist and pioneer in the field of nuclear physics.
5. Gertrud WELLENSIEK (1914-2003), a German artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited throughout Europe.
While the surname WELLENSIEK is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich history stretching back over four centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wellensiek
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellensiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wellensiek 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 Wellensiek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wellensiek
Wellensiek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 18,187 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 Wellensiek 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 | #160,975 | #142,788 | 11.3% |
| Count | 100 | 119 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wellensiek bearers went from 100 to 119 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 18,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #142,788.
FAQ
Wellensiek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wellensiek?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Wellensiek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Wellensiek?
Wellensiek ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Wellensiek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Wellensiek.
Has Wellensiek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wellensiek went from 100 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 19 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Wellensiek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wellensiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (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 Wellensiek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wellensiek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (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 Wellensiek (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 Wellensiek mean?
A surname likely derived from a German place name indicating an origin. 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 Wellensiek (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 many people are called Wellensiek?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wellensiek, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.