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

Wieland, 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 Wieland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wieland in America

Wieland is the 6402nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wieland surname appeared 5,314 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wieland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wieland 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 Wieland

The surname Wieland originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "wil", meaning "wild" or "untamed", and "lant", meaning "land" or "territory". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a remote or wilderness area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a "Wilihalmus de Wilanti". This indicates that the name was already in use by the 12th century and may have originated even earlier.

The surname Wieland has also been linked to the legendary Germanic figure Wieland the Smith, a skilled blacksmith and craftsman from Norse mythology. This association may have contributed to the name's popularity among metalworkers and artisans in the Middle Ages.

In the 15th century, the German poet and satirist Sebastian Brant (1457-1521) wrote about a character named Wieland in his work "Das Narrenschiff" (The Ship of Fools). This literary reference further solidified the name's place in German culture.

One notable bearer of the surname was Christoph Martin Wieland (1733-1813), a German writer, poet, and philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment. He was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as Weimar Classicism and is considered one of the most influential German authors of the 18th century.

Another individual with the surname Wieland was Gustav Adolf Wieland (1828-1907), a German chemist and metallurgist who made significant contributions to the study of steel and its alloys. He developed the Wieland process for the production of high-quality steel, which was widely adopted in the steel industry.

In the realm of art, the German painter and printmaker Olaf Wieland (1882-1965) was a notable figure. He was part of the Expressionist movement and is known for his woodcut prints and paintings depicting scenes of rural life and landscapes.

The surname Wieland has also been found in other European countries, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, likely due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wieland

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

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

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

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