2000
#9,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,212
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Wiebe
A Mennonite surname of Dutch or Frisian origin, derived from the given name Wiebe, meaning "war" or "battle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,415 Americans carry the last name Wiebe. That puts it at #8,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiebe 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
4.4K
1 in 77,634
Census rank
#8,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,850 bearers of the surname Wiebe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiebe
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiebe 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 Wiebe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,578
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 178
- Two or more races1.7% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiebe
Wiebe 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
#8,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,754
+542 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 581 places
2020
#8,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,850
+96 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,317 | 3,212 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,736 | 3,754 | 1.27 | +542 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 581 places |
| 2020 | #8,243 | 3,850 | 1.29 | +96 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 493 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 Wiebe 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 | #8,736 | #8,243 | 5.6% |
| Count | 3,754 | 3,850 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiebe bearers went from 3,754 to 3,850 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 493 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,736 to #8,243.
FAQ
Wiebe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiebe?
Name Census estimates that about 4,415 living Americans carry the surname Wiebe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,634 residents.
How common is Wiebe?
Wiebe ranks #8,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,850 people with the surname Wiebe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Wiebe.
Has Wiebe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiebe went from 3,754 recorded bearers to 3,850. That is an increase of 96 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,736 to #8,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiebe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Wiebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,578 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiebe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Wiebe (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 Wiebe mean?
A Mennonite surname of Dutch or Frisian origin, derived from the given name Wiebe, meaning "war" or "battle." 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 Wiebe (1.29 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 have the surname Wiebe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.