2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Welnetz
An Americanized spelling from German surnames meaning "from a village called Welnitz".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Welnetz. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Welnetz 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Welnetz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Welnetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Welnetz
The surname WELNETZ is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "weln" and "netz," which together translate to "wilting net" or "withering net." This unusual combination of words likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the creation or maintenance of nets or netting materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WELNETZ can be found in the parish records of the small town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the northern Bavarian region of Germany. In 1587, a man named Hans WELNETZ is listed as a resident and registered member of the local guild of net makers and repairers.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name WELNETZ appeared sporadically in various German records and documents, often associated with rural communities and villages where net-making or fishing were common occupations. Variations in spelling, such as WELLNETZ and WELNIZ, were also occasionally noted.
In the early 19th century, a notable figure named Johann WELNETZ (1795-1867) gained recognition as a skilled artisan and master net maker in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria. His intricate and durable nets were highly sought after by local fishermen and gained him a reputation throughout the region.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich WELNETZ (1822-1891), a German philosopher and writer who authored several influential works on the nature of consciousness and the human mind. His treatise "Die Natur des Geistes" (The Nature of the Mind) was widely studied and debated in academic circles of the time.
Other notable WELNETZ individuals include:
- Elise WELNETZ (1856-1927), a renowned opera singer and performer in the late 19th century.
- Karl WELNETZ (1875-1949), a pioneering engineer and inventor who held several patents for innovative net-making machinery.
- Hildegard WELNETZ (1901-1981), a celebrated artist and painter known for her captivating landscapes and still-life works.
While the surname WELNETZ is not among the most common in Germany today, it remains a distinctive and intriguing name with a rich historical background deeply rooted in the traditions and craftsmanship of the regions where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Welnetz
Among Census respondents with the surname Welnetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Welnetz 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 Welnetz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Welnetz
Welnetz 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,375 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,745 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,375 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,745 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 Welnetz 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 | #138,304 | #142,049 | -2.7% |
| Count | 121 | 120 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Welnetz bearers went from 121 to 120 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,745 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,049.
FAQ
Welnetz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Welnetz?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Welnetz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Welnetz?
Welnetz ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Welnetz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Welnetz.
Has Welnetz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Welnetz went from 121 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Welnetz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Welnetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Welnetz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Welnetz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Welnetz (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 Welnetz mean?
An Americanized spelling from German surnames meaning "from a village called Welnitz". 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 Welnetz (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 have the last name Welnetz?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Welnetz, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.