2000
#5,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,959
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Wiegand
A German occupational surname referring to a person who weighed goods or operated scales.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,571 Americans carry the last name Wiegand. That puts it at #5,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiegand 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wiegand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,162
Census rank
#5,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,730 bearers of the surname Wiegand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiegand, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiegand
The surname Wiegand is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "wiegen," meaning "to weigh," and "ant," meaning "counter" or "weigher." It was an occupational surname given to those who worked as weighers, particularly in the weighing of goods and merchandise.
The earliest recorded instances of the Wiegand surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. During this time, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Wigand, Wygand, and Weigand, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Wigand von Marburg, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 13th century (c. 1210-1277). He is known for his work "Perspectiva," which contributed to the development of the study of optics.
In the 14th century, the Wiegand surname was documented in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents related to the region of Saxony. This record mentions individuals with the surname Wiegand, indicating their presence in the area during that period.
During the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Wiegand was Johannes Wiegand (c. 1430-1490), a German priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig. He played a significant role in the intellectual and religious life of the region.
In the 16th century, the Wiegand surname gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several members of the family were involved in the metalworking and goldsmithing industries. One notable figure from this period was Hans Wiegand (c. 1520-1590), a skilled goldsmith and engraver whose works were highly sought after by the nobility and clergy.
Another prominent individual with the Wiegand surname was Johann Wiegand (1661-1718), a German physician and botanist from Saxony. He conducted extensive research on medicinal plants and authored several works on the subject, contributing to the advancement of herbal medicine during his time.
Over the centuries, the Wiegand surname has spread to various parts of the world, including North America, where it was brought by German immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, the name's origins can be traced back to its German roots and the occupational significance it held in medieval and early modern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiegand
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiegand, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiegand 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 Wiegand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 5,396
- Two or more races2.4% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiegand
Wiegand 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
#5,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,004
+45 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 390 places
2020
#5,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,730
-274 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,379 | 5,959 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,769 | 6,004 | 2.04 | +45 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 390 places |
| 2020 | #5,818 | 5,730 | 1.92 | -274 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 49 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 Wiegand 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 | #5,769 | #5,818 | -0.8% |
| Count | 6,004 | 5,730 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.92 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiegand bearers went from 6,004 to 5,730 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,769 to #5,818.
FAQ
Wiegand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiegand?
Name Census estimates that about 6,571 living Americans carry the surname Wiegand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,162 residents.
How common is Wiegand?
Wiegand ranks #5,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 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 5,730 people with the surname Wiegand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 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 Wiegand.
Has Wiegand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiegand went from 6,004 recorded bearers to 5,730. That is a decrease of 274 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,769 to #5,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiegand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiegand, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Wiegand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (5,396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiegand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Wiegand (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 Wiegand mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who weighed goods or operated scales. 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 Wiegand (1.92 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 Wiegand?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wiegand, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.