2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Werges
A surname of German or Dutch origin, possibly derived from a location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Werges. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Werges 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Werges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Werges, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Werges
The surname WERGES is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old German word "werga," which means "a worker" or "a servant." Alternatively, it may have been derived from the place name "Wergau," a region in Bavaria, Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname WERGES can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, Germany. The name appears in a document dated 1192, referring to a person named "Henricus Werges."
In the 14th century, the name WERGES appeared in the Liber Censuum, a record of taxes and census data compiled by the Catholic Church. This document mentions a family with the surname WERGES living in the city of Cologne.
During the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname WERGES was Johann Werges, a German theologian and Protestant reformer born in 1521 in Wittenberg, Germany. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name WERGES can be found in the records of the Thirty Years' War, which ravaged much of central Europe between 1618 and 1648. A soldier named Hans Werges is mentioned as having served in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname WERGES was Johann Michael Werges, born in 1723 in Cologne, Germany. He was a renowned composer and organist, known for his contributions to the Baroque music tradition.
Another notable figure with the surname WERGES was Friedrich Werges, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1776 to 1832. He was a proponent of idealism and wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and aesthetics.
As the name WERGES spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Wergess, Werghes, and Wergis. However, the original spelling of WERGES remained predominant.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Werges
Among Census respondents with the surname Werges, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Werges 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 Werges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Werges
Werges 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-11 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,550 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 19,550 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Werges 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Werges bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Werges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Werges?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Werges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Werges?
Werges ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Werges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Werges.
Has Werges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Werges went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Werges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Werges, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Werges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Werges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Werges (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 Werges mean?
A surname of German or Dutch origin, possibly derived from a location name. 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 Werges (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 Werges?
Find out how many people are called Werges on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.