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

Wesner, 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 Wesner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wesner in America

Wesner is the 13073rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wesner surname appeared 2,349 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wesner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wesner 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 Wesner

The surname WESNER is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "wesanen," which means "to dwell" or "to reside." It likely emerged in the 8th or 9th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a particular area or settlement.

The earliest recorded instances of the WESNER surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Historical records from that time period often show variations in spelling, including Wesener, Wesner, and Wessner.

One of the earliest known bearers of the WESNER name was Heinrich Wesner, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Heidenheim, near Würzburg, in the late 13th century. His name appears in tax records from 1289.

In the 15th century, the WESNER surname is found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of goldsmiths and metalsmiths bore the name. Notable among them was Hans Wesner (1435-1501), a renowned goldsmith whose intricate works adorned many churches and noble households in the region.

Another prominent bearer of the WESNER name was Johann Wesner (1567-1628), a Lutheran theologian and educator from Nürnberg. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Altdorf and authored several influential treatises on religious doctrine.

During the 17th century, the WESNER surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Matthias Wesner (1621-1689), a Swiss military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became a councillor in the city of Zürich.

In the 19th century, Johann Georg Wesner (1798-1872), a German mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

While the WESNER surname originated in Germany, it has since been found in various other countries due to migration and diaspora, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wesner

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

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 Wesner 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 Wesner 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 Wesner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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