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

Wiedemann, 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 Wiedemann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiedemann in America

Wiedemann is the 17311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiedemann surname appeared 1,635 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 Wiedemann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiedemann 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 Wiedemann

The surname Wiedemann originates from Germany and is primarily derived from the Middle High German word "wiede," which means "meadow" or "pasture," combined with "man," meaning "man." Hence, the surname essentially translates to "man of the meadow" or "pasture man." This surname is primarily toponymic, indicating that it originally described someone who lived near or worked in a meadow or pasture.

The earliest records of the Wiedemann surname date back to the medieval period in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Swabia. Variants of the name include Wiedman, Wiedeman, and Weidmann. The spelling variations often occurred due to regional dialects and differences in medieval script and orthography. One of the earliest mentions comes from documents in the 13th century, where a "Ludwig Wiedemann" was noted in Nördlingen, a historic town in Bavaria.

Throughout the centuries, the Wiedemann family name appears in various historical documents. For example, a Georg Wiedemann, born in 1530 and died in 1608, is noted to have been a prominent figure in Augsburg, Bavaria. His involvement in the local council helped shape municipal policies during that time. Another historical figure is Wolfgang Wiedemann, a Lutheran theologian and writer born in 1600 and whose work significantly impacted Protestant theology in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Wiedemann, born in 1763 and died in 1837, was a notable chemist and academic who contributed to the field of chemical analysis in Germany. His publications and academic influence were well-regarded among his contemporaries in scientific communities. Additionally, Friedrich Wiedemann, born in 1808 and died in 1885, was an influential linguist and scholar who focused on Finno-Ugric languages and developed comprehensive dictionaries still referenced today.

In arts and literature, the surname is prominently carried by Bernhard Wiedemann, born in 1890 and died in 1940, a noted expressionist painter whose works captured the tumultuous changes in Europe during his lifetime. His paintings are still exhibited in several German museums and art collections.

The surname Wiedemann has also been represented in modern history by people like Hermann Wiedemann, born in 1910 and died in 1945, a German officer during World War II who received posthumous recognition for his service. While historical documents reveal more complete genealogies in regions where the Wiedemann name was predominant, to this day, it remains a testament to the geographic and occupational origins of the people who first bore it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiedemann

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

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

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

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