2000
#223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121,684
First available Census row
Per 100,000 45.11
Common Last name
Wheeler
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of wheels, or a wheelwright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137,453 Americans carry the last name Wheeler. That puts it at #254 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 40.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,494 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wheeler 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wheeler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
137K
1 in 2,494
Census rank
#254
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
40.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119,866 bearers of the surname Wheeler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 40.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 254th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wheeler
The surname Wheeler is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word 'hweol', meaning wheel. It originated as a descriptive name for a maker or seller of wheels, particularly for carts and carriages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with variations in spelling such as 'le Whelewrighte' and 'le Wheolare' appearing in medieval records and charters. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contain a reference to a 'Henry le Wheolare' in Oxfordshire.
The name Wheeler is widely distributed across England, with early concentrations in counties like Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Gloucestershire. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Wheeler (c. 1550-1637), an English clergyman and academic who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
In the 17th century, the Wheeler name gained prominence with the exploits of Sir Francis Wheeler (c. 1565-1634), an English naval captain and navigator who voyaged to the East Indies and later served as Vice-Admiral of the British Royal Navy.
Another notable figure was William Wheeler (1601-1676), an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Concord. He served as a captain in the local militia and was a deputy to the General Court.
The Wheeler surname also has a connection to the American Revolution, with John Wheeler (1732-1805), a renowned patriot and member of the Sons of Liberty who played a key role in the Boston Tea Party protest.
During the 19th century, Daniel Wheeler (1771-1840), an English Quaker minister and author, gained recognition for his travels and writings promoting religious tolerance and social reform.
As the name spread across the English-speaking world, notable bearers of the Wheeler surname continued to emerge, such as Sir Charles Thomas Wheeler (1892-1975), a British military officer and diplomat who served as Governor of Burma from 1948 to 1952.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wheeler
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wheeler 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 Wheeler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 93,164
- Black or African American13.0% · 15,608
- Two or more races4.3% · 5,116
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,028
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 837
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wheeler
Wheeler 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
#243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,058
+3,374 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 42.40
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119,866
-5,192 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 40.10
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #223 | 121,684 | 45.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #243 | 125,058 | 42.40 | +3,374 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #254 | 119,866 | 40.10 | -5,192 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 11 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 Wheeler 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 | #243 | #254 | -4.5% |
| Count | 125,058 | 119,866 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 42.40 | 40.10 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wheeler bearers went from 125,058 to 119,866 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #243 to #254.
FAQ
Wheeler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wheeler?
Name Census estimates that about 137,453 living Americans carry the surname Wheeler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,494 residents.
How common is Wheeler?
Wheeler ranks #254 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 40.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 40 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119,866 people with the surname Wheeler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 40.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 40.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 40 of them to have the surname Wheeler.
Has Wheeler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wheeler went from 125,058 recorded bearers to 119,866. That is a decrease of 5,192 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #243 to #254.
What does the Census say about the background of Wheeler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Wheeler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (93,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wheeler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Wheeler (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 Wheeler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of wheels, or a wheelwright. 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 Wheeler (40.10 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 share the surname Wheeler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.