2000
#5,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Wieland
A German occupational surname referring to someone who hunted game or managed hunting grounds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,723 Americans carry the last name Wieland. That puts it at #6,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wieland 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 Wieland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,891
Census rank
#6,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,991 bearers of the surname Wieland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wieland
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wieland 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 Wieland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,616
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 153
- Two or more races2.9% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 44
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wieland
Wieland 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
#6,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,314
-102 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 545 places
2020
#6,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,991
-323 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,857 | 5,416 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,402 | 5,314 | 1.80 | -102 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 545 places |
| 2020 | #6,535 | 4,991 | 1.67 | -323 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 133 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 Wieland 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 | #6,402 | #6,535 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,314 | 4,991 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.67 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wieland bearers went from 5,314 to 4,991 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,402 to #6,535.
FAQ
Wieland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wieland?
Name Census estimates that about 5,723 living Americans carry the surname Wieland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,891 residents.
How common is Wieland?
Wieland ranks #6,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 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 4,991 people with the surname Wieland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 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 Wieland.
Has Wieland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wieland went from 5,314 recorded bearers to 4,991. That is a decrease of 323 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,402 to #6,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Wieland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wieland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wieland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wieland (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 Wieland mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who hunted game or managed hunting grounds. 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 Wieland (1.67 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 Wieland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.