2000
#3,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.65
Uncommon Last name
Wenger
A surname of German origin, referring to a maker or seller of wagons or carts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,272 Americans carry the last name Wenger. That puts it at #3,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wenger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wenger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,930
Census rank
#3,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,702 bearers of the surname Wenger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wenger
The surname Wenger is of German origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the region of Bavaria during the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "wenge," which means "field" or "meadow." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely farmers or landowners who lived and worked in rural areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the Wenger surname can be found in various historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, there are records of a Wilhelm Wenger who lived in the town of Nuremberg in 1397. Additionally, the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Bavaria, dating back to the 15th century.
One notable individual with the Wenger surname was Hans Wenger (1508-1558), a German Renaissance painter and engraver who was born in Nuremberg. His works, which included religious paintings and engravings, are now housed in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 17th century, the Wenger name appears in several records related to the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a devastating conflict that ravaged much of central Europe. One such record mentions a Johann Wenger, who served as a soldier in the Imperial Army during the war.
As the Wenger family spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Wengert, Wenger, and Wengert. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciations.
One of the most famous individuals with the Wenger surname in more recent history was Arsène Wenger (born 1949), a French former professional football player and manager. He is best known for his tenure as the manager of Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League, where he served from 1996 to 2018.
Other notable individuals with the Wenger surname include Johann Wenger (1823-1890), a Swiss architect who designed several buildings in Basel, and Paul Wenger (1892-1975), a Swiss writer and poet who was known for his works in the Alemannic German dialect.
While the Wenger name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with families bearing this surname found in countries such as Switzerland, France, and even as far as the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wenger
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wenger 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 Wenger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 10,094
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 255
- Two or more races2.1% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 66
- Black or African American0.5% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wenger
Wenger 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
#3,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,596
+757 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#3,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,702
+106 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Up 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,333 | 9,839 | 3.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,369 | 10,596 | 3.59 | +757 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #3,294 | 10,702 | 3.58 | +106 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 75 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 Wenger 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 | #3,369 | #3,294 | 2.2% |
| Count | 10,596 | 10,702 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.59 | 3.58 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wenger bearers went from 10,596 to 10,702 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,369 to #3,294.
FAQ
Wenger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wenger?
Name Census estimates that about 12,272 living Americans carry the surname Wenger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,930 residents.
How common is Wenger?
Wenger ranks #3,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,702 people with the surname Wenger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wenger.
Has Wenger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wenger went from 10,596 recorded bearers to 10,702. That is an increase of 106 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,369 to #3,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Wenger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wenger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (10,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wenger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wenger (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 Wenger mean?
A surname of German origin, referring to a maker or seller of wagons or carts. 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 Wenger (3.58 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 surname Wenger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.