2000
#7,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Wert
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "wert," meaning "island" or "raised land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,640 Americans carry the last name Wert. That puts it at #7,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,869 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wert 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 73,869
Census rank
#7,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,046 bearers of the surname Wert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wert
The surname WERT originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "wert," meaning "valuable" or "precious," indicating that the name may have initially referred to a person of high status or wealth.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the WERT surname was Johannes Wert, a German composer who lived from around 1535 to 1596. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the Renaissance era and is renowned for his intricate motets and madrigals.
Another notable figure with the WERT surname was Johann von Wert, a German military commander who lived in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the Thirty Years' War and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
In the 17th century, the surname WERT appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including the baptismal records of Johannes Wert from Nuremberg in 1623 and the marriage record of Anna Maria Wert in Heidelberg in 1679.
The WERT surname also spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing instances of the name in the Netherlands and Switzerland. For example, Jacob Wert, a Dutch merchant born in 1712, is noted for his successful trading ventures in the East Indies.
In the 19th century, the surname WERT gained prominence in the United States, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was John Wert, a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1825 and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
Throughout its history, the WERT surname has been subject to various spellings, such as Werte, Werth, and Wirts, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time. However, the core meaning of the name, derived from the concept of value and preciousness, has remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wert
Among Census respondents with the surname Wert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wert 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 Wert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 3,702
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 134
- Two or more races3.1% · 125
- Black or African American1.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wert
Wert 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
#7,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,248
+32 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 506 places
2020
#7,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,046
-202 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,289 | 4,216 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,795 | 4,248 | 1.44 | +32 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 506 places |
| 2020 | #7,865 | 4,046 | 1.35 | -202 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 70 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 Wert 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 | #7,795 | #7,865 | -0.9% |
| Count | 4,248 | 4,046 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.35 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wert bearers went from 4,248 to 4,046 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,795 to #7,865.
FAQ
Wert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wert?
Name Census estimates that about 4,640 living Americans carry the surname Wert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,869 residents.
How common is Wert?
Wert ranks #7,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,046 people with the surname Wert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Wert.
Has Wert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wert went from 4,248 recorded bearers to 4,046. That is a decrease of 202 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,795 to #7,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Wert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (3,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Wert (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 Wert mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "wert," meaning "island" or "raised land." 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 Wert (1.35 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 Americans have the surname Wert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.