2000
#13,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Werts
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to the owner or operator of an inn or tavern.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,257 Americans carry the last name Werts. That puts it at #14,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,863 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Werts 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
2.3K
1 in 151,863
Census rank
#14,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,968 bearers of the surname Werts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Werts, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Werts
The surname WERTS is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "weride," which means "defender" or "protector." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were guardians or soldiers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WERTS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 11th century. It mentions a landowner named Wernher Werts residing in the region of Saxony.
In the 13th century, the WERTS name appeared in various records across different regions of Germany. For example, a merchant named Heinrich Werts was documented in the city of Hamburg in 1268, while a farmer named Konrad Werts was mentioned in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1287.
The surname WERTS also has connections to place names. In the 14th century, there was a small village named Wertshausen located in the region of Bavaria. It is possible that the name WERTS may have originated from this village or that individuals from Wertshausen adopted the name as their surname.
One notable historical figure with the surname WERTS was Johannes Werts (1490-1567), a German Protestant theologian and reformer. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and published several influential works on religious doctrine.
Another prominent individual was Friedrich Werts (1675-1732), a German architect and military engineer. He was renowned for his fortification designs and served as the chief architect for several German principalities.
In the 18th century, Johann Werts (1725-1798) was a respected composer and musician from Saxony. He composed numerous works for the church and was recognized for his contributions to sacred music.
The WERTS surname also has connections to the arts. Marie Werts (1842-1912) was a German painter known for her landscape and genre paintings, which were exhibited in prestigious galleries across Europe.
In the 20th century, Hans Werts (1901-1989) was a German author and poet. His works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition, earning him critical acclaim and recognition within literary circles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Werts
Among Census respondents with the surname Werts, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Werts 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 Werts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 1,333
- Black or African American23.0% · 452
- Two or more races5.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Werts
Werts 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
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,993
+8 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 919 places
2020
#14,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,968
-25 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 307 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,943 | 1,985 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,862 | 1,993 | 0.68 | +8 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 919 places |
| 2020 | #14,555 | 1,968 | 0.66 | -25 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 307 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 Werts 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 | #14,862 | #14,555 | 2.1% |
| Count | 1,993 | 1,968 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.66 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Werts bearers went from 1,993 to 1,968 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 307 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,862 to #14,555.
FAQ
Werts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Werts?
Name Census estimates that about 2,257 living Americans carry the surname Werts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,863 residents.
How common is Werts?
Werts ranks #14,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,968 people with the surname Werts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Werts.
Has Werts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Werts went from 1,993 recorded bearers to 1,968. That is a decrease of 25 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,862 to #14,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Werts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Werts, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Werts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (1,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Werts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (23.0%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Werts (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 Werts mean?
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to the owner or operator of an inn or tavern. 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 Werts (0.66 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 Werts?
Find out how many people are called Werts on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.