2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wenholz
A surname derived from a German place name referring to a hamlet or small village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Wenholz. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wenholz 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Wenholz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wenholz
The surname WENHOLZ has its origins in Germany, with records of the name dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "wen" meaning "what" and "holz" meaning "wood," potentially indicating an occupation or area associated with forestry or woodworking.
One of the earliest known references to the WENHOLZ name can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Wusterwitz, located in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. These records mention a Johann WENHOLZ, who was born in 1587.
In the 17th century, the WENHOLZ surname appears in various historical documents from the region of Pomerania, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. For instance, a Hans WENHOLZ is recorded as a landowner in the village of Görke (now part of modern-day Poland) in 1635.
The 18th century saw the WENHOLZ name spread to other parts of Germany, with records indicating that a family bearing this surname had settled in the city of Hamburg by the mid-1700s. One notable individual from this time was Carl Friedrich WENHOLZ, a merchant and ship owner who lived from 1732 to 1798.
In the 19th century, the WENHOLZ surname gained further prominence with the birth of Friedrich Wilhelm WENHOLZ (1811-1891), a German painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and landscape art. Another notable figure was Karl August WENHOLZ (1845-1919), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.
As the WENHOLZ family continued to disperse throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, including WENHOLTZ, WENHÖLZ, and WENHOELZ. One such variation, WENHOLTZ, was carried by Johann Jakob WENHOLTZ (1768-1838), a German theologian and author who wrote several religious works.
While the WENHOLZ surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also appeared in other parts of the world, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries. However, the majority of historical records and notable individuals bearing this name can be traced back to its German roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wenholz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wenholz 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 Wenholz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wenholz
Wenholz 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-6 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,805 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-10 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12,805 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 11,165 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 Wenholz 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 | #133,863 | #145,028 | -8.3% |
| Count | 126 | 116 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wenholz bearers went from 126 to 116 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 11,165 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #145,028.
FAQ
Wenholz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wenholz?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Wenholz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Wenholz?
Wenholz ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Wenholz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Wenholz.
Has Wenholz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wenholz went from 126 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Wenholz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Wenholz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wenholz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Wenholz (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 Wenholz mean?
A surname derived from a German place name referring to a hamlet or small village. 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 Wenholz (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 Wenholz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Wenholz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.