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

Wiebe, 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 Wiebe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiebe in America

Wiebe is the 8736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiebe surname appeared 3,754 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wiebe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiebe 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.

The history of the last name Wiebe

The surname Wiebe is of German origin, originating from the medieval Low German personal name Wip or Wibe, which is derived from the Old Germanic word "wib" meaning "wife" or "woman." The name likely evolved as a nickname or descriptive name referring to someone's wife or a woman's name.

The earliest recorded instances of the Wiebe surname can be traced back to the 13th century in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. Historical records from this period, such as church registers and town chronicles, document individuals bearing variations of the name, including Wibe, Wibbe, and Wibben.

In the 16th century, the surname Wiebe began to appear in Dutch records, particularly in the northern Netherlands provinces of Friesland and Groningen. This was likely due to the migration of German settlers into these areas, bringing their surnames with them. Notable individuals from this period include Reiner Wiebe, a merchant from Groningen born in 1542.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Wiebe surname spread throughout the German-speaking territories, including Prussia and the Baltic regions. One notable figure was Johann Wiebe (1677-1745), a German-born Lutheran pastor who served in the town of Memel, now known as Klaipėda, Lithuania.

In the late 18th and 19th centuries, many individuals with the surname Wiebe emigrated from Germany and the Netherlands to other parts of the world, including Russia, North America, and South America. This diaspora was driven by factors such as religious persecution, economic opportunities, and the prospect of acquiring land.

Among the notable individuals with the Wiebe surname are:

1. Benjamin Wiebe (1832-1905), a Mennonite leader and pioneer who founded the village of Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada.
2. John P. Wiebe (1856-1943), a Canadian politician and farmer who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
3. Gerhard Wiebe (1901-1980), a German-born Canadian artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
4. Victor Wiebe (1924-2019), a Canadian writer and professor who authored several novels and short story collections.
5. Rudy Wiebe (born 1934), a Canadian writer and novelist, best known for his novel "The Temptations of Big Bear."

The Wiebe surname continues to be widely distributed across various regions, with concentrations in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and parts of the United States, particularly among Mennonite communities with roots in the German and Dutch diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiebe

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

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 Wiebe was:

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

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

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

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