2000
#9,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Wenner
A German occupational surname referring to a wine grower or wine seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,397 Americans carry the last name Wenner. That puts it at #10,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wenner 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
3.4K
1 in 100,899
Census rank
#10,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,962 bearers of the surname Wenner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wenner
The surname Wenner has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "wenner," which means "resident" or "inhabitant." This suggests that the name was originally given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived in a particular town or region.
The earliest known reference to the Wenner surname can be found in a document from the city of Cologne in 1283, which mentions a person named Heinricus Wenner. Over the following centuries, the name continued to be recorded in various German regions, with variations in spelling such as Wenner, Wennerus, and Wennershusen.
One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Johann Wenner, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1489 to 1555. He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and a supporter of the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure was Georg Wenner, born in 1609 in Nuremberg, who was a prominent merchant and banker. He played a significant role in the economic development of his city during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Wenner (1735-1807) was a German composer and organist who served as the court chapel master in Weimar. His works included numerous sacred compositions and instrumental pieces.
Moving into the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Wenner (1810-1880) was a German engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the development of steam engines and hydraulic machinery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wenner surname outside of Germany can be found in the United States, where Johann Georg Wenner (1740-1824), a German immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
While these are just a few examples, the Wenner surname has a long and rich history in Germany and other parts of Europe, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who carried this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wenner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wenner 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 Wenner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,763
- Two or more races2.8% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 68
- Black or African American1.0% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wenner
Wenner 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
#10,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,174
-118 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 1,049 places
2020
#10,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,962
-212 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,117 | 3,292 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,166 | 3,174 | 1.08 | -118 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 1,049 places |
| 2020 | #10,336 | 2,962 | 0.99 | -212 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 170 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 Wenner 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 | #10,166 | #10,336 | -1.7% |
| Count | 3,174 | 2,962 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.99 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wenner bearers went from 3,174 to 2,962 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,166 to #10,336.
FAQ
Wenner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wenner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,397 living Americans carry the surname Wenner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,899 residents.
How common is Wenner?
Wenner ranks #10,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,962 people with the surname Wenner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Wenner.
Has Wenner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wenner went from 3,174 recorded bearers to 2,962. That is a decrease of 212 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,166 to #10,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Wenner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wenner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wenner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wenner (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 Wenner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a wine grower or wine seller. 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 Wenner (0.99 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 common is the surname Wenner?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Wenner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.