Wickey last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wickey

A topographic surname derived from an Old English word referring to a dwelling near a winding stream or river.

Wickey, 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 Wickey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wickey in America

Wickey is the 20088th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wickey surname appeared 1,330 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 Wickey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wickey 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 20088 25398 -23.35%
Count 1,330 915 36.97%
Proportion per 100k 0.45 0.34 27.85%

The history of the last name Wickey

The surname Wickey has its origins in Germany, specifically within the medieval German-speaking regions of Central Europe. The time period for the genesis of this surname likely dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 14th centuries. During this time, surnames began to be adopted more widely as communities expanded and the need to distinguish between individuals with the same given name became more essential.

Wickey is thought to derive from the Old High German word "wick" or "wich," which means a dwelling place or settlement. This root is found in various toponyms and surnames within Germanic languages, often indicating a place of residence or an association with a particular locality. The alternative spelling "Wick" can also be observed in old records, reflecting its connection to settlement names.

One of the earliest recorded examples of a surname similar to Wickey is found in the form of "Wick," documented in historical manuscripts and land records. An example includes the Wick family mentioned in the 13th-century register of the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland. Although the specific surname Wickey itself may not appear in such early documents, variants and related forms like Wike, Wicke, and Wicken are evident.

In 1505, Johann Wicke appears in the annals of Frankfurt, Germany, as a notable merchant. His contributions to the local economy during the early 16th century marked him as a prominent figure of his time. Another significant historical figure is Dietrich Wicke, born in 1621 in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, who was known for his writings on maritime law.

During the period of significant European migration to the New World in the 18th and 19th centuries, several bearers of the Wickey surname are recorded. Friedrich Wickey, born in 1756, emigrated from Bremen, Germany, and settled in Pennsylvania, USA, where he became an influential member of the local German-speaking community.

In the 19th century, Magdalena Wickey, born in 1835 in Bavaria, Germany, became known for her efforts in educational reform. She was a pioneering teacher who introduced new methods of instruction in rural schools across Bavaria, significantly impacting the local educational system.

The surname Wickey is also connected to place names that reflect the settlement aspect of its etymology. Examples include the village of Wicken in Cambridgeshire, England, though of Anglo-Saxon origin, sharing the same root as the Old High German "wick." This demonstrates the broad reach and shared linguistic heritage across Germanic-speaking regions.

These historical references and notable individuals illustrate the rich etymological and cultural heritage of the Wickey surname, reflecting its deep roots in the history of German-speaking Europe and its broader influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wickey

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

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 Wickey was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.71% 1,273
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.45% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.20% 16
Hispanic Origin 1.88% 25

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 Wickey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.71% 96.72% -1.05%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.45% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.77% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.20% 0.55% 74.29%
Hispanic 1.88% 1.20% 44.16%

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

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

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"Wickey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wickey-surname-popularity/.

"Wickey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wickey-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Wickey last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wickey-surname-popularity/.

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