2000
#6,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Wiener
A German and Jewish surname derived from the name of the Austrian city of Vienna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,054 Americans carry the last name Wiener. That puts it at #7,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiener 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 Wiener with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,818
Census rank
#7,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,407 bearers of the surname Wiener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiener, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiener
The surname WIENER originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, derived from the German word "Wiener" meaning someone from the city of Vienna, Austria. It was a locational surname given to individuals who hailed from or lived in Vienna.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Wiener" or "Winer" in various medieval German records and documents from the 13th century onwards. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the tax rolls and municipal records of cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg.
The name WIENER is closely linked to the history and development of Vienna, which was a thriving center of trade and commerce during the Middle Ages. As the city grew in prominence, it attracted settlers and immigrants from various parts of Europe, many of whom adopted the surname WIENER upon settling in the city.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WIENER can be found in the Nuremberg Burgher Books, which date back to the 14th century. These books documented the names of citizens and their professions, and several individuals with the surname WIENER are listed as merchants, artisans, and tradesmen.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name WIENER was Johannes Wiener, a renowned scholar and humanist born in Vienna in 1420. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and contributed significantly to the revival of classical learning during the Renaissance.
Another historical figure with the surname WIENER was Christoph Wiener, a German composer and organist who lived in the 16th century. Born in Nuremberg in 1520, he was a respected musician and composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.
In the 17th century, the name WIENER gained further prominence with the birth of Johann Wiener, a German mathematician and astronomer born in Nuremberg in 1634. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was particularly known for his work on logarithms and trigonometric tables.
Moving into the 18th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname WIENER was Leopold Wiener, an Austrian composer and violinist born in Vienna in 1723. He was a prominent figure in the Viennese classical music scene and composed numerous works for the violin and other instruments.
As the name WIENER spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration. However, the earliest recorded instances of the name and its historical significance remain deeply rooted in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe and the city of Vienna.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiener
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiener, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiener 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 Wiener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 4,093
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 144
- Two or more races2.4% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
- Black or African American0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiener
Wiener 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
#6,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,191
-28 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 464 places
2020
#7,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,407
-784 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,064 | 5,219 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,528 | 5,191 | 1.76 | -28 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 464 places |
| 2020 | #7,295 | 4,407 | 1.47 | -784 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 767 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 Wiener 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 | #6,528 | #7,295 | -11.7% |
| Count | 5,191 | 4,407 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.47 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiener bearers went from 5,191 to 4,407 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 767 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,528 to #7,295.
FAQ
Wiener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiener?
Name Census estimates that about 5,054 living Americans carry the surname Wiener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,818 residents.
How common is Wiener?
Wiener ranks #7,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,407 people with the surname Wiener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wiener.
Has Wiener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiener went from 5,191 recorded bearers to 4,407. That is a decrease of 784 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,528 to #7,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiener, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wiener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (4,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wiener (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 Wiener mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the name of the Austrian city of Vienna. 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 Wiener (1.47 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 Wiener?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.