Find out how popular the last name Wence is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wence.

Wence, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wence in America

Wence is the 40432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wence surname appeared 541 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wence.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wence to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wence

The surname WENCE is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "wince," which meant "to turn or bend." This name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a winding road or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WENCE can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire in 1315, where a person named William Wence is mentioned. The Feet of Fines were records of land transactions in medieval England.

In the 14th century, the name WENCE appeared in various spellings, such as Wynce, Wynce, and Wence, in various records across different regions of England. It's possible that the name was also influenced by the French word "vinci," which means "to conquer" or "to overcome."

A notable bearer of the WENCE surname was Sir John Wence, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and owned lands in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Another individual with the WENCE surname was Robert Wence, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the late 16th century. He was born around 1540 and played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.

In the 17th century, the WENCE surname was found in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire, where a family by the name of Wence resided in the village of Horspath. One member of this family, William Wence, was born in 1625 and served as a parish clerk.

During the 18th century, the WENCE surname was present in several counties, including Warwickshire, where a prominent family lived in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Thomas Wence, born in 1712, was a respected lawyer and landowner in the area.

As the centuries passed, the WENCE surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with some families migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other countries as well.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wence

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wence.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wence was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wence has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wence was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wence, please contact us.

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