2000
#2,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,674
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.81
Uncommon Last name
Wetzel
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "wetzel," meaning knife maker or sharpener.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,312 Americans carry the last name Wetzel. That puts it at #2,352 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,799 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wetzel 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
17K
1 in 19,799
Census rank
#2,352
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,097 bearers of the surname Wetzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2352nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wetzel
The surname Wetzel originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "wazzil," meaning "butcher's dog" or "terrier." The name was likely used as a nickname for someone with a scrappy or tenacious personality, akin to a small, feisty terrier dog.
The Wetzel surname first appeared in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. It was also found in areas that are now part of modern-day Austria and Switzerland. Some variations in spelling include Wetzel, Wetzell, Wetzl, and Wetzler.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Wetzel name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a medieval manuscript from the Melk Abbey in Austria, which dates back to the 12th century. This document contains records of land transactions and mentions individuals with the surname Wetzel.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Wetzel surname include Johann Wetzel (1582-1644), a German Baroque composer and organist; Johann Caspar Wetzel (1691-1755), a German painter and engraver; and Johann Wetzel (1808-1888), a German politician and member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848-49.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Wetzel name is that of Lewis Wetzel (1763-1808), an American frontiersman, scout, and pioneer who played a significant role in the Indian Wars of the Ohio Valley. He was known for his skilled marksmanship and his exploits against Native American tribes during the westward expansion of the United States.
Another notable figure was John Wetzel (1804-1892), a German-American architect and builder who designed and constructed several notable buildings in Indiana, including the Tippecanoe County Courthouse and the First Presbyterian Church in Lafayette.
Johann Christoph Wetzel (1690-1766) was a German organ builder and organist who constructed organs in various churches throughout Germany and Switzerland, including the famous organ at the Frauenkirche in Dresden.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wetzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wetzel 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 Wetzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 13,921
- Two or more races3.2% · 477
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 464
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 97
- Black or African American0.6% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wetzel
Wetzel 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
#2,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,849
+175 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 5.37
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#2,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,097
-752 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,121 | 15,674 | 5.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,300 | 15,849 | 5.37 | +175 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #2,352 | 15,097 | 5.05 | -752 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 52 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 Wetzel 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 | #2,300 | #2,352 | -2.3% |
| Count | 15,849 | 15,097 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.37 | 5.05 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wetzel bearers went from 15,849 to 15,097 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,300 to #2,352.
FAQ
Wetzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wetzel?
Name Census estimates that about 17,312 living Americans carry the surname Wetzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,799 residents.
How common is Wetzel?
Wetzel ranks #2,352 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,097 people with the surname Wetzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Wetzel.
Has Wetzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wetzel went from 15,849 recorded bearers to 15,097. That is a decrease of 752 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,300 to #2,352.
What does the Census say about the background of Wetzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wetzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (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 Wetzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (13,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wetzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (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 Wetzel (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 Wetzel mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "wetzel," meaning knife maker or sharpener. 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 Wetzel (5.05 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 Wetzel?
Want to know how common the surname Wetzel is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.