2000
#13,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Wengerd
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely of German origin, meaning "wineyard" or "vineyard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,401 Americans carry the last name Wengerd. That puts it at #8,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wengerd 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
4.4K
1 in 77,881
Census rank
#8,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,838 bearers of the surname Wengerd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wengerd, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wengerd
The surname Wengerd is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of Germany and Switzerland. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
One possible derivation of the name Wengerd is from the Old German words "wen" and "gard," which together could mean "new settlement" or "new farmstead." This suggests that the surname may have initially been given to someone who established a new homestead or settlement.
Another theory proposes that the name Wengerd is derived from a place name, possibly a town or village with a similar-sounding name, where the family may have originated or resided. Place names were often incorporated into surnames during the Middle Ages as a means of identification and distinguishing individuals from different locations.
While there are no known references to the name Wengerd in historical documents like the Domesday Book, which recorded land ownership in England after the Norman Conquest, some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in German and Swiss records from the 15th and 16th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Wengerd was Hans Wengerd, a farmer who lived in the village of Oberwangen, Switzerland, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johannes Wengerd, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived in Germany in the 16th century (c. 1500-1570).
In the 17th century, a family by the name of Wengerd settled in the Palatinate region of Germany, where they became influential landowners and farmers. One member of this family, Wilhelm Wengerd (1625-1692), was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a magistrate.
As the surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Wengert, Wengardt, and Wengerde. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling practices during that time.
Another notable individual with the surname Wengerd was Johann Georg Wengerd (1730-1803), a German composer and organist who was active in the late 18th century. His works included several organ compositions and church cantatas.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Wengerd emigrated from Germany and Switzerland to North America, where they and their descendants have contributed to various fields, including agriculture, education, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wengerd
Among Census respondents with the surname Wengerd, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wengerd 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 Wengerd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.5% · 3,781
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 29
- Two or more races0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wengerd
Wengerd 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
#10,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,173
+1,145 bearers (+56.5%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 3,545 places
2020
#8,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,838
+665 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 1,899 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,712 | 2,028 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,167 | 3,173 | 1.08 | +1,145 bearers (+56.5%) | Up 3,545 places |
| 2020 | #8,268 | 3,838 | 1.28 | +665 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 1,899 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 Wengerd 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 | #10,167 | #8,268 | 18.7% |
| Count | 3,173 | 3,838 | 21.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.28 | 18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wengerd bearers went from 3,173 to 3,838 (+21.0% change). The surname moved up 1,899 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,167 to #8,268.
FAQ
Wengerd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wengerd?
Name Census estimates that about 4,401 living Americans carry the surname Wengerd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,881 residents.
How common is Wengerd?
Wengerd ranks #8,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,838 people with the surname Wengerd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wengerd.
Has Wengerd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wengerd went from 3,173 recorded bearers to 3,838. That is an increase of 665 (+21.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,167 to #8,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Wengerd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wengerd, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Wengerd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (3,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wengerd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.5%), Hispanic (0.8%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Wengerd (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 Wengerd mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely of German origin, meaning "wineyard" or "vineyard." 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 Wengerd (1.28 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 Wengerd?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.