2000
#25,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Very Rare Last name
Wheless
A variant of the surname "Wheeler", referring to someone who made wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 847 Americans carry the last name Wheless. That puts it at #33,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 404,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wheless 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
847
1 in 404,669
Census rank
#33,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
739
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 739 bearers of the surname Wheless in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheless, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wheless
The surname Wheless has its origins predominantly in England, though it is not among the most common English surnames. Earliest documentation places its formation somewhere in the medieval period, likely around the 14th or 15th century. Wheless is presumably a variant of the surname Whelis, which itself may have derived from an Old English or Middle English word, though the exact etymology is somewhat obscure.
One of the oldest recorded references to the surname appears in parish records and tax documents from the late medieval period. A similarity with the Old English word "hweol," meaning "wheel," suggests a possible occupational origin, possibly linked to someone who made or repaired wheels, which was a crucial trade in medieval times.
One early instance of the surname appears in a 1525 record of Thomas Wheless in Dorset, England. The Wheless name appears in various spellings over the centuries, including Wheelis, Whealyss, and Whelis, among others. The Devonshire parish registers of the early 1600s also make note of a Richard Wheless, indicating that the name had spread within England by this time.
A notable individual bearing the surname was John Wheless, an agriculturist and landowner born in 1732 who settled in and developed large tracts of farmland in Somerset. This John Wheless is often cited in local histories for his contribution to agricultural practices during the time.
Across the Atlantic, the name Wheless found its way to America, likely around the 18th century. George Wheless, born in 1765, is one of the early bearers of the name to be recorded in Virginia. Serving in the American Revolutionary War, George Wheless's records are found in several military documents of the era.
In the late 19th century, Joseph Wheless, born in 1868, became one of the more renowned individuals with the surname. An attorney and author, his works on biblical criticism brought him both acclaim and controversy. He remained an influential figure until his death in 1950, marking one of the more prominent figures to carry the Wheless surname into the modern era.
The surname Wheless, though less common, carries a rich history that intertwines with the development of medieval trades, early migration to America, and scholarly contributions of later generations. With roots that stretch back to ancient English dialects and pivotal moments in agricultural and intellectual history, Wheless remains a surname with a distinct and varied legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wheless
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheless, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wheless 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 Wheless surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 604
- Black or African American10.6% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 27
- Two or more races3.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wheless
Wheless 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
#29,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 806
-116 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 4,113 places
2020
#33,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 739
-67 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 3,898 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,221 | 922 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,334 | 806 | 0.27 | -116 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 4,113 places |
| 2020 | #33,232 | 739 | 0.25 | -67 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 3,898 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 Wheless 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 | #29,334 | #33,232 | -13.3% |
| Count | 806 | 739 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.25 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wheless bearers went from 806 to 739 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 3,898 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,334 to #33,232.
FAQ
Wheless surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wheless?
Name Census estimates that about 847 living Americans carry the surname Wheless. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 404,669 residents.
How common is Wheless?
Wheless ranks #33,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 739 people with the surname Wheless. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (847), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Wheless.
Has Wheless become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wheless went from 806 recorded bearers to 739. That is a decrease of 67 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,334 to #33,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Wheless?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wheless, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Wheless in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wheless appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (10.6%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Wheless (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 Wheless mean?
A variant of the surname "Wheeler", referring to someone who made wheels. 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 Wheless (0.25 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 Wheless?
You can see how common the surname Wheless is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.