2000
#25,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 915
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Wickey
A topographic surname derived from an Old English word referring to a dwelling near a winding stream or river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,365 Americans carry the last name Wickey. That puts it at #13,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wickey 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
2.4K
1 in 144,928
Census rank
#13,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,062 bearers of the surname Wickey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wickey
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wickey 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 Wickey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 1,980
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 30
- Two or more races1.1% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wickey
Wickey 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
#20,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,330
+415 bearers (+45.4%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 5,310 places
2020
#13,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
+732 bearers (+55.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 6,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,398 | 915 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,088 | 1,330 | 0.45 | +415 bearers (+45.4%) | Up 5,310 places |
| 2020 | #13,999 | 2,062 | 0.69 | +732 bearers (+55.0%) | Up 6,089 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 Wickey 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 | #20,088 | #13,999 | 30.3% |
| Count | 1,330 | 2,062 | 55.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.69 | 53.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wickey bearers went from 1,330 to 2,062 (+55.0% change). The surname moved up 6,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,088 to #13,999.
FAQ
Wickey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wickey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,365 living Americans carry the surname Wickey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,928 residents.
How common is Wickey?
Wickey ranks #13,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,062 people with the surname Wickey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wickey.
Has Wickey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wickey went from 1,330 recorded bearers to 2,062. That is an increase of 732 (+55.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,088 to #13,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Wickey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Wickey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (1,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wickey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (1.5%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Wickey (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 Wickey mean?
A topographic surname derived from an Old English word referring to a dwelling near a winding stream or river. 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 Wickey (0.69 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 Americans have the surname Wickey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.