2000
#12,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Wiens
A German and Dutch habitational surname derived from a place near a curved or bent meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,785 Americans carry the last name Wiens. That puts it at #12,227 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiens 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
2.8K
1 in 123,072
Census rank
#12,227
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,429 bearers of the surname Wiens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12227th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiens
The surname "WIENS" is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period in Central Europe. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "Wien," which means "Vienna," the capital city of Austria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a historic book published in 1493, where a "Hans Wiens" is mentioned as a merchant from Vienna. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locative surname, given to individuals who hailed from or had a connection to the city of Vienna.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears in various church records and historical documents across German-speaking regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. Several variations of the spelling, such as "Wiens," "Wyens," and "Wienss," can be found in these records.
In the 18th century, the name "WIENS" began to spread beyond the German states as families migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable figure from this era was Johann Wiens, a German-born philosopher and theologian (1723-1789), who made significant contributions to the field of Christian apologetics.
As the name spread across continents, it also evolved to reflect local dialects and linguistic influences. In the United States, for instance, the spelling "WIENS" became more prevalent among families of German descent who settled in regions like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the Midwest.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname "WIENS" include:
1. Gottfried Wiens (1835-1901), a German-American artist and painter known for his landscape works depicting the American West.
2. Ella Wiens (1892-1976), a Canadian author and educator who wrote several books on prairie life and the experiences of Mennonite settlers in Western Canada.
3. Heinrich Wiens (1874-1937), a Russian-born Mennonite leader and minister who played a significant role in the establishment of Mennonite communities in Canada and the United States.
4. Otto Wiens (1875-1958), a German-American inventor and engineer who patented several innovations in the field of automotive technology.
5. Gerhard Wiens (1898-1957), a German-Canadian artist and illustrator who gained recognition for his depictions of rural life in the Canadian prairies.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse narratives associated with the surname "WIENS," which has left an indelible mark across various regions and cultural landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiens
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiens 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 Wiens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,248
- Two or more races3.4% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 55
- Black or African American1.0% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiens
Wiens 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
#12,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
+113 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#12,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,429
-29 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 366 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,181 | 2,345 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,593 | 2,458 | 0.83 | +113 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #12,227 | 2,429 | 0.81 | -29 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 366 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 Wiens 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 | #12,593 | #12,227 | 2.9% |
| Count | 2,458 | 2,429 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.81 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiens bearers went from 2,458 to 2,429 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 366 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,593 to #12,227.
FAQ
Wiens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiens?
Name Census estimates that about 2,785 living Americans carry the surname Wiens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,072 residents.
How common is Wiens?
Wiens ranks #12,227 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,429 people with the surname Wiens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,785), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Wiens.
Has Wiens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiens went from 2,458 recorded bearers to 2,429. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,593 to #12,227.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiens, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wiens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Wiens (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 Wiens mean?
A German and Dutch habitational surname derived from a place near a curved or bent meadow. 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 Wiens (0.81 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 Americans have the surname Wiens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.