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

Wesseler, 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 Wesseler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wesseler in America

Wesseler is the 80678th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wesseler surname appeared 235 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 Wesseler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wesseler 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 Wesseler

The surname Wesseler is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Westphalia, which was once a part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is derived from the Old German word "wesselon," meaning "to dwell or reside."

Wesseler is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from a specific place or settlement within Westphalia. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a particular village or town that is now lost to history. Variant spellings of the name, such as Wesseler, Wessler, and Wessler, can be found in historical records.

One of the earliest known references to the Wesseler name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Archdiocese of Cologne, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the Wesseler family had already established itself in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Johann von Wesseler was recorded as a landowner in the town of Soest, located in the former Duchy of Westphalia. This entry in the local archives provides evidence of the family's presence and prominence in the area during that era.

A notable figure from the 16th century was Matthias Wesseler (1543-1612), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in the town of Münster and became a prominent figure in the Lutheran church.

Another individual of note was Johann Wesseler (1628-1701), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Holy Roman Empire. His writings on legal theory and jurisprudence were highly influential during his time.

In the 18th century, a painter named Johann Heinrich Wesseler (1765-1831) gained recognition for his landscape and portrait works. He was born in the city of Münster and his paintings can be found in various museums across Germany.

The Wesseler surname has also been associated with the town of Wesseling, located near Cologne. While the origins of the place name are uncertain, it is possible that the town and the surname share a common etymology, further reinforcing the family's ties to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wesseler

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!