2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Wier
Derived from Middle English meaning "weir," referring to someone who lived near or maintained a fish trap or dam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,850 Americans carry the last name Wier. That puts it at #12,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wier 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 Wier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 120,265
Census rank
#12,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,485 bearers of the surname Wier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wier
The surname WIER is of English and Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word "wer" or "wyer," meaning a dam or weir, a structure built across a river to control the flow of water. This name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a weir.
The earliest known record of the WIER surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the county of Northumberland, England. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Thomas de la Wyre.
In Scotland, the WIER surname is found in several areas, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Scottish Borders. It is believed that some instances of the name may have derived from the place name Weir, a small village in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Notable historical figures with the WIER surname include:
1. Thomas Weir (c. 1670-1670), a Scottish man who was convicted and executed for witchcraft and other crimes in Edinburgh in 1670.
2. William Weir (1802-1858), a Scottish poet and songwriter born in Greenock, known for his works celebrating the Renfrewshire region.
3. Robert Walter Weir (1803-1889), an American painter and educator who served as the president of the National Academy of Design in New York.
4. John Ferguson Weir (1837-1926), an American painter and sculptor, the son of Robert Walter Weir, known for his portraits and genre scenes.
5. Wilfred Weir (1888-1945), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Alberta from 1935 to 1937.
Over time, the WIER surname has undergone various spellings, such as Weir, Wyer, Wier, Wyre, Wyre, and Wier. These variations can be found in historical records and documents across different regions where the name was prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wier
Among Census respondents with the surname Wier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wier 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 Wier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,239
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 96
- Two or more races3.6% · 89
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wier
Wier 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
#11,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,675
+39 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#12,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,485
-190 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,716 | 2,675 | 0.91 | +39 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #12,004 | 2,485 | 0.83 | -190 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 288 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 Wier 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 | #11,716 | #12,004 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,675 | 2,485 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.83 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wier bearers went from 2,675 to 2,485 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,716 to #12,004.
FAQ
Wier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,850 living Americans carry the surname Wier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,265 residents.
How common is Wier?
Wier ranks #12,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,485 people with the surname Wier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Wier.
Has Wier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wier went from 2,675 recorded bearers to 2,485. That is a decrease of 190 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,716 to #12,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Wier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Wier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Wier (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 Wier mean?
Derived from Middle English meaning "weir," referring to someone who lived near or maintained a fish trap or dam. 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 Wier (0.83 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 are called Wier?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Wier at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.