2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wieling
A surname possibly derived from the Frisian word for "meadow" or "pasture."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Wieling. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wieling 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Wieling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wieling
The surname Wieling is of German origin, dating back to at least the medieval period in Europe. The name is thought to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, specifically around the areas of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. Wieling might be derived from an older Germanic word, possibly vis-, which often referenced a settlement by a swamp or marshy land. Alternatively, it could stem from personal names like Wiele, aligning with other Germanic surnames formed by adding a diminutive suffix -ing, which indicated "descendant of" or "belonging to."
Historical references to the name Wieling can be traced back to various records and manuscripts from the High Middle Ages. For example, in 1293, a Henricus Wieling was listed as a landowner in a document detailing property transactions within Lower Saxony. This indicates that the surname was established well before the late 13th century and associated with certain rights and privileges in that society.
Earlier documented examples of the surname include a reference to a Dietrich Wieling in 1372, who was a prominent burgher in the town of Bremen. The recurring presence of the name in trade and guild records suggests that the Wielings were often engaged in mercantile and artisanal professions during that period.
The name Wieling also appears in connection to place names. For instance, the village of Wielingen in the Netherlands near Zeeland, although not directly connected, shares phonetic similarities, hinting at migration patterns or shared linguistic roots during the medieval diaspora within the Low Countries and northern Germany.
Several individuals throughout history with the surname Wieling have stood out for their contributions. Friedrich Wilhelm Wieling (1679-1744) was a renowned theologian and writer based in Hamburg, whose works significantly impacted Protestant scholarly discourse. In the 18th century, Johann Heinrich Wieling (1705-1767), a noted physician, contributed landmark studies in early modern medical practices.
Manfred Wieling (1901-1969), a 20th-century German historian, specialized in medieval German chronicles, offering detailed insights into early Germanic sagas and folklore. More recently, Ernst Wieling (1934-2010) was an influential chemist whose research played a critical role in developing modern materials science.
The surname Wieling, while not exceedingly common, maintains a presence that offers rich historical and cultural significance, connected to deep-rooted German heritage and the evolution of European urban and academic life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wieling
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wieling 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 Wieling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 98
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wieling
Wieling appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-26 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,819 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 21,819 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 Wieling 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 | #133,863 | #155,682 | -16.3% |
| Count | 126 | 100 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wieling bearers went from 126 to 100 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 21,819 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #155,682.
FAQ
Wieling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wieling?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Wieling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Wieling?
Wieling ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Wieling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wieling.
Has Wieling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wieling went from 126 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Wieling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Wieling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wieling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Black (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Wieling (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 Wieling mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Frisian word for "meadow" or "pasture." 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 Wieling (0.03 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 Wieling?
See how many people have the last name Wieling on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.