2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Werve
A variant of the German surname Werve or Werver, denoting a wool weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Werve. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Werve 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Werve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Werve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Werve
The surname Werve is of Dutch origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in the Low Countries. It is believed to be derived from the Old Dutch word "werve," which referred to a shoal or sandbank, suggesting that the name may have originated from a place name associated with such a geographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Werve can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Neerlandicus, a collection of Dutch historical documents dating back to the 11th century. In this codex, a person named Willelmus de Werve is mentioned in a document from the year 1236, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
The Werve surname also appears in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a compilation of charters and documents from the regions of Holland and Zeeland, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, a reference is made to a place called "Werve" in the year 1289, further supporting the connection between the surname and a place name.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Werve include:
1. Johannes Werve (c. 1350-1415), a Dutch philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Paris.
2. Willem van Werve (c. 1430-1498), a prominent Dutch merchant and alderman in the city of Delft.
3. Adriaan Werve (1567-1635), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and architectural scenes.
4. Pieter van Werve (1605-1678), a Dutch military engineer who served in the Dutch East Indies and designed several fortifications.
5. Johanna Werve (1712-1784), a Dutch poet and writer whose work was published in various literary journals of her time.
It is worth noting that the name Werve has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Werven, Wervyn, and Wervius, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences within the Low Countries.
While the surname Werve is not among the most common in the Netherlands today, its historical roots and connections to place names, occupations, and notable individuals offer a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the Dutch people and their linguistic traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Werve
Among Census respondents with the surname Werve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Werve 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 Werve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 91
- Two or more races7.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Werve
Werve appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 5,293 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 Werve 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 | #160,975 | #155,682 | 3.3% |
| Count | 100 | 100 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Werve bearers went from 100 to 100 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 5,293 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #155,682.
FAQ
Werve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Werve?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Werve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Werve?
Werve ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Werve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Werve.
Has Werve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Werve went from 100 recorded bearers to 100. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Werve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Werve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Werve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Werve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Werve (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 Werve mean?
A variant of the German surname Werve or Werver, denoting a wool weaver. 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 Werve (0.03 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 Werve?
Want to know how many people have the last name Werve? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.