2000
#5,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Widener
One who makes or sells wicker baskets or furniture, or a person from a place called Widen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,980 Americans carry the last name Widener. That puts it at #6,274 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,317 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Widener 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
6.0K
1 in 57,317
Census rank
#6,274
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,215 bearers of the surname Widener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6274th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Widener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Widener
The surname Widener originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "witen," meaning "to spread" or "to extend," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a wide or expansive area.
The name first appeared in historical records in the town of Widener, located in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. This town's name is thought to have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation. In the 1500s, the name was often spelled as "Widner" or "Wittner" in various parish registers and local documents.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Widener was Hans Widener, a farmer born in Widener, Germany, in 1532. Another notable figure was Johann Widener, a merchant and landowner who lived in the nearby town of Trier in the late 16th century.
As the Widener family spread across Europe, the name underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In France, it was sometimes written as "Videnaire" or "Videner," while in England, it appeared as "Widener" or "Widner."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a William Widener was baptized in 1639. Another notable figure was Sir John Widener (1699-1772), a prominent merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1761.
In the United States, the Widener family gained prominence in the 19th century. Peter A.B. Widener (1834-1915), a Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist, established the Widener Library at Harvard University and the Widener Museum of Art in Philadelphia. His son, Harry Elkins Widener (1885-1912), was a renowned book collector who perished aboard the RMS Titanic.
Other notable individuals with the surname Widener include Robert Widener (1942-2007), an American businessman and philanthropist, and Bradley Widener (born 1955), a former professional tennis player who won several Grand Slam doubles titles in the 1980s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Widener
Among Census respondents with the surname Widener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Widener 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 Widener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 4,675
- Two or more races4.4% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 146
- Black or African American2.1% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Widener
Widener 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
#6,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,464
+140 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 296 places
2020
#6,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,215
-249 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,954 | 5,324 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,250 | 5,464 | 1.85 | +140 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 296 places |
| 2020 | #6,274 | 5,215 | 1.74 | -249 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 24 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 Widener 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 | #6,250 | #6,274 | -0.4% |
| Count | 5,464 | 5,215 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.74 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Widener bearers went from 5,464 to 5,215 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,250 to #6,274.
FAQ
Widener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Widener?
Name Census estimates that about 5,980 living Americans carry the surname Widener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,317 residents.
How common is Widener?
Widener ranks #6,274 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,215 people with the surname Widener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Widener.
Has Widener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Widener went from 5,464 recorded bearers to 5,215. That is a decrease of 249 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,250 to #6,274.
What does the Census say about the background of Widener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Widener, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Widener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (4,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Widener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Widener (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 Widener mean?
One who makes or sells wicker baskets or furniture, or a person from a place called Widen. 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 Widener (1.74 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 Widener?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.