2000
#7,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Widner
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "witu," meaning "wood," and "nari," meaning "warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,131 Americans carry the last name Widner. That puts it at #8,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Widner 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
4.1K
1 in 82,971
Census rank
#8,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,602 bearers of the surname Widner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Widner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Widner
The surname Widner is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Switzerland during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "witin," meaning "willow," and the suffix "-er," indicating a person associated with a particular object or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Widner can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Heinricus Widner" from the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, in the year 1259.
Another notable early reference to the name Widner appears in the Chronik der Stadt Bamberg, a chronicle of the city of Bamberg, Germany. This work, written in the 15th century, mentions a "Johannes Widner" who served as a city councilor in Bamberg in the year 1423.
The name Widner has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Johann Widner (1528-1598), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in the region of Bavaria.
Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Widner (1768-1842), a German composer and organist who served as the court organist in Weimar and composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.
In the 19th century, the name Widner gained prominence in the United States through the achievements of Peter Widner (1834-1915), a successful industrialist and philanthropist. Widner made his fortune in the steel industry and later founded the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard University in memory of his son, who tragically died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
The name Widner has also been associated with several notable places. For instance, the town of Widnersee in Austria is believed to have derived its name from an individual named Widner who lived in the area during the Middle Ages.
Throughout its history, the surname Widner has undergone various spellings, including Widener, Widtner, and Wittner. These variations often reflected regional differences in dialect and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Widner
Among Census respondents with the surname Widner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Widner 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 Widner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 3,172
- Two or more races4.8% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 163
- Black or African American1.4% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Widner
Widner 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
#8,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,992
-138 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 866 places
2020
#8,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
-390 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,433 | 4,130 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,299 | 3,992 | 1.35 | -138 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 866 places |
| 2020 | #8,741 | 3,602 | 1.21 | -390 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 442 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 Widner 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 | #8,299 | #8,741 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,992 | 3,602 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.21 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Widner bearers went from 3,992 to 3,602 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 442 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,299 to #8,741.
FAQ
Widner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Widner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,131 living Americans carry the surname Widner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,971 residents.
How common is Widner?
Widner ranks #8,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,602 people with the surname Widner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Widner.
Has Widner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Widner went from 3,992 recorded bearers to 3,602. That is a decrease of 390 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,299 to #8,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Widner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Widner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Widner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (3,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Widner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Widner (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 Widner mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "witu," meaning "wood," and "nari," meaning "warrior." 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 Widner (1.21 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 Widner?
Find out how common the surname Widner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.