Wiemer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wiemer

A toponymic surname likely derived from a place name in Germany or the Netherlands.

Wiemer, 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 Wiemer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiemer in America

Wiemer is the 27818th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiemer surname appeared 863 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wiemer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiemer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 27818 25503 8.68%
Count 863 910 -5.30%
Proportion per 100k 0.29 0.34 -15.87%

The history of the last name Wiemer

The surname Wiemer originates in Germany, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is primarily derived from the Middle High German word "wîgmar," which itself stems from the Old High German elements "wig," meaning battle, and "mari," meaning famous. This points to the surname as having the meaning "famous in battle."

The surname Wiemer is believed to have been first used in regions such as Thuringia and Saxony, both areas known for their historical importance in Germany. The medieval German sociocultural environment, characterized by regional conflicts and court life, likely provided the environment for such a surname to develop and proliferate.

Historical records from the 13th century provide some of the earliest instances of the Wiemer surname. One example is a document from 1286, found in the archives of Thuringia, which references a "Johannes Wiemer," a local landowner who was involved in several legal and financial transactions. This document is crucial as it establishes not only the usage of the surname but also its geographic relevance in medieval Germany.

Another significant historical figure with the surname was Georg Wiemer, born in 1502 and died in 1585, who was a notable merchant in the Hanseatic League. His involvement in trade across the Baltic Sea helped propagate the Wiemer name beyond local regions into broader European awareness. His records can be traced back to the Hanseatic archives in the city of Lübeck.

The Thirty Years' War also brought prominence to the Wiemer name when Christoph Wiemer, born in 1598 and died in 1645, served as a military officer for the Holy Roman Empire. His contributions are detailed in various military dispatches and records stored in the imperial archives of Vienna.

Moving forward into the 18th century, the name appears again with Johann Christian Wiemer, born in 1724 and died in 1799, a renowned craftsman and instrument maker from Saxony. His works, particularly in producing fine musical instruments, were highly coveted during that period, and some of his creations are preserved in museums today.

The 19th century saw the emergence of yet another influential figure, Karl Heinrich Wiemer, born in 1830 and died in 1895, who was involved in the early industrial movements within Germany. As an engineer and inventor, Karl Heinrich made significant contributions to the development of mechanical tools, which were essential during the industrial revolution.

These historical figures illustrate the longstanding presence and influence of the Wiemer surname within German society. While the name's etymological core speaks to martial prowess, its bearers have made impactful contributions in diverse fields from trade and military service to craftsmanship and industrial innovation throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiemer

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

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 Wiemer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.71% 826
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.16% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.93% 8
Hispanic Origin 1.51% 13

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 Wiemer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.71% 96.26% -0.57%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.16% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 1.21% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.93% 1.10% -16.75%
Hispanic 1.51% 0.88% 52.72%

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

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

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"Wiemer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiemer-surname-popularity/.

"Wiemer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiemer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Wiemer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiemer-surname-popularity/.

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