Find out how popular the last name Werle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Werle.

Werle, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Werle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Werle in America

Werle is the 26391st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Werle surname appeared 925 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Werle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Werle to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Werle

The surname Werle originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "werla," meaning a small town or village. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a specific town or village.

One of the earliest known references to the name Werle can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the former Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to 1258. The document mentions a person named "Johannes de Werle," indicating the presence of the name in medieval Brandenburg.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Bernhard von Werle was recorded as the Lord of Werle, a small principality in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. This suggests that the name may have been associated with the ruling class in the region during that time period.

Another notable person with the surname Werle was Johann von Werle, a German composer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was known for his sacred music compositions and served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of Duke Albrecht of Prussia.

In the 17th century, the name Werle was also found in the Netherlands, possibly due to migration from Germany. One example is Adriaen Werle, a Dutch painter who lived from 1615 to 1669 and was known for his still-life paintings.

During the 18th century, the surname Werle appeared in various parts of central and eastern Europe. For instance, Johann Gottfried Werle, a German theologian and writer, was born in 1732 in Saxony and published several works on religious topics.

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Werlé, Wehrle, and Wehrli. These variations reflect the regional dialects and language differences in different areas where the name was adopted.

While the surname Werle may have originated from a specific place name, it eventually became a widespread surname across Germany and other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the adoption of the name by different families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Werle

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Werle.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Werle was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Werle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Werle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Werle, please contact us.

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