2000
#48,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 414
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Wieringa
A surname likely derived from a Dutch place name containing the element "weir" meaning "dam".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 518 Americans carry the last name Wieringa. That puts it at #50,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 661,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wieringa 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
518
1 in 661,688
Census rank
#50,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
452
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 452 bearers of the surname Wieringa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieringa, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wieringa
The surname WIERINGA has its roots in The Netherlands, specifically originating from the northern Dutch provinces of Groningen and Friesland. This surname is typically associated with a patronymic origin, indicating descent from an ancestor named WIER or WIERI, which are old Frisian given names. The suffix -INGA is a common patronymic ending in the Frisian language, meaning "descendant of" or "belonging to the family of."
The earliest records of the surname WIERINGA can be found in the medieval period, notably within church registers, land records, and regional tax documents from Groningen and Friesland. One of the earliest documented examples of the name dates back to the mid-16th century. Historical documents, including property records from around 1560, mention a Jan WIERINGA, a landowner in the region, indicating the name was well-established by this time.
The name WIERINGA has undergone several variations in spelling over the centuries, although its core components have remained relatively stable. In older records, variations like Wyringa and Wyerenga can sometimes be found. These variations still pinpoint the same familial and geographical origin.
Among noteworthy historical figures bearing the surname WIERINGA is Cornelis WIERINGA (1603–1671), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Amsterdam, whose trade activities greatly influenced maritime commerce in the Dutch Golden Age. Another significant individual is Jacob WIERINGA (1675–1731), a noted mapmaker and cartographer who contributed to the detailed mapping of the Frisian islands.
The surname also appears in academic and literary contexts. For instance, Gerrit Jan WIERINGA (1853–1929), a well-known historian and archivist in Friesland, made considerable contributions to the preservation and understanding of Frisian history and culture. His extensive writing and archiving work have been pivotal in understanding the region's past.
In more recent history, notable persons include the novelist Tommy WIERINGA, born in 1967, whose literary efforts have garnered international attention. Additionally, historian Sjoerd WIERINGA (1898–1980) made significant contributions to the study of Dutch agricultural history, authoring several important works on the subject.
Throughout its history, the surname WIERINGA has maintained strong ties to its northern Dutch roots, reflecting a heritage of agricultural, maritime, and academic contributions. Its presence in historical documents underscores the enduring legacy of families bearing the name across several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wieringa
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieringa, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wieringa 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 Wieringa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 430
- Two or more races2.4% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wieringa
Wieringa 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
#46,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
+39 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 1,119 places
2020
#50,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 452
-1 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,021 | 414 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,902 | 453 | 0.15 | +39 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 1,119 places |
| 2020 | #50,074 | 452 | 0.15 | -1 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 3,172 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 Wieringa 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 | #46,902 | #50,074 | -6.8% |
| Count | 453 | 452 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wieringa bearers went from 453 to 452 (-0.2% change). The surname moved down 3,172 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,902 to #50,074.
FAQ
Wieringa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wieringa?
Name Census estimates that about 518 living Americans carry the surname Wieringa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 661,688 residents.
How common is Wieringa?
Wieringa ranks #50,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 452 people with the surname Wieringa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Wieringa.
Has Wieringa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wieringa went from 453 recorded bearers to 452. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,902 to #50,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Wieringa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieringa, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Wieringa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (430 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wieringa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Wieringa (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 Wieringa mean?
A surname likely derived from a Dutch place name containing the element "weir" meaning "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 Wieringa (0.15 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 Wieringa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.