2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wichtendahl
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Wichtendahl. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wichtendahl 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Wichtendahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wichtendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wichtendahl
The surname Wichtendahl originated in Germany, likely emerging during the medieval period. The name is believed to have roots in the Low German dialects spoken in the northern regions of Germany. Specifically, it is thought to come from the area around Mecklenburg, which was known for its distinctive linguistic and cultural history.
Wichtendahl likely derives from a combination of two Old Germanic elements: "wichten," meaning "weighty" or "important," and "dahl" or "dal," meaning "valley" or "dale." Thus, the surname could originally have denoted someone who hailed from an "important valley," perhaps highlighting the significance of the land or its produce.
The name Wichtendahl first appeared in historical records in the early 13th century in Mecklenburg. One of the earliest references can be found in a 1237 document listing a Heinrich Wichtendahl as a landowner in the region. Heinrich's holdings were notably described in a land registry that also included detailed tax obligations, giving insight into the socioeconomic status of the family at that time.
A notable individual with the surname was Dietrich Wichtendahl, born in 1454 and known for his writings on local governance. Dietrich held a prominent position within the Lübeck city council, contributing to several reforms in municipal administration. His death in 1502 was recorded in local annals, highlighting his contributions to the town's development.
Another significant figure was Maria Wichtendahl, who lived from 1610 to 1678. Maria became famous for her detailed chronicles of the Thirty Years' War, providing a rare and invaluable civilian perspective on the conflict. Her accounts were later published posthumously, offering historians a glimpse into the period's hardships and societal disruptions.
In the late 18th century, Johann Friedrich Wichtendahl, born in 1732, became a noted scholar and professor at the University of Rostock. His contributions to early German literature studies earned him considerable recognition in academic circles. Johann Friedrich's works on medieval German texts remain influential, and his death in 1801 was mourned by the academic community.
The 19th century saw Ludwig Wichtendahl, born in 1807, emerge as a prominent businessman and philanthropist. His ventures in the shipping industry helped modernize trading practices along the Baltic Sea coast. Ludwig's death in 1870 marked the end of an era for the Wichtendahl family, which had by then expanded its influence considerably beyond its origins.
Another influential bearer of the surname was Clara Wichtendahl, an artist born in 1879. Known for her expressionist paintings, Clara became an integral part of the early 20th-century German art scene. Her works have been exhibited in several European galleries, and she continued to influence the expressionist movement until her death in 1946.
The Wichtendahl surname, with its rich etymological roots and significant historical bearers, offers a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and societal developments of northern Germany over the centuries. The name remains a testament to the lasting legacy of its earliest bearers and their contributions to their communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wichtendahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Wichtendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wichtendahl 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 Wichtendahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wichtendahl
Wichtendahl 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,027 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,027 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,064 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 Wichtendahl 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 | #144,141 | #150,205 | -4.2% |
| Count | 115 | 109 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wichtendahl bearers went from 115 to 109 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #150,205.
FAQ
Wichtendahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wichtendahl?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Wichtendahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Wichtendahl?
Wichtendahl ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Wichtendahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wichtendahl.
Has Wichtendahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wichtendahl went from 115 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Wichtendahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wichtendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Wichtendahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wichtendahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Wichtendahl (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 Wichtendahl mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Wichtendahl (0.04 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 Wichtendahl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Wichtendahl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.