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

Wies, 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 Wies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wies in America

Wies is the 47878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wies surname appeared 442 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 Wies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wies 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.

The history of the last name Wies

The surname Wies likely has its origins in central Europe, most notably within the regions encompassing modern-day Germany and Poland. The name is thought to have appeared as early as the High Middle Ages, possibly deriving from the Old High German word "wiese," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the original bearers of the surname might have lived near or worked in areas associated with meadows or open pastured lands. In Polish, the word "wieś" similarly means "village," indicating a possible geographical connection.

Early written records of the surname Wies can be found in various medieval documents and manuscripts from the German territories. For instance, the name appears in the records of the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe between the 12th and 17th centuries. The surname is also recorded in the Lübeck Book of Burghers dating back to the 14th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wies is Hans Wies, a merchant from Lübeck born around 1370. Hans Wies' involvement in trade and commerce provides a glimpse into the socioeconomic standing of early bearers of the surname. Another notable figure is Johann von Wies, a knight documented in the annals of the Teutonic Order in the 15th century. Johann von Wies played a role in various military and administrative activities of the Order.

Geographical variations and older spellings of the surname include forms such as Wyese and Wyse, found in different dialects and regions. These variations indicate a common phonetic transformation during the medieval period, as literacy and standardized spelling were not yet widespread. Max Wies was another significant historical figure, born in 1825. He was a prominent academic in Berlin, contributing to early scholarship in philology and linguistics. His works shed light on the complex interplay of language and cultural identity in 19th-century Europe.

In addition to these figures, the surname Wies appears in the chronicles of the Thirty Years' War, a devastating European conflict from 1618 to 1648. Captain Franz Wies, born in 1590, served as a military officer in the service of the Holy Roman Empire. His participation in the conflict is documented through various military dispatches and personal correspondences.

In more recent history, the surname Wies was represented by Ludwig Wies, a renowned botanist born in 1867. Ludwig Wies' contributions to the field of botany, particularly his studies on alpine flora, garnered him recognition in scientific circles across Europe. His legacy continues through the various plant species named in his honor.

The surname Wies carries a rich historical and cultural legacy, underscoring the manifold roles its bearers have played across centuries in Europe. From medieval merchants and knights to scholars and scientists, individuals with the surname Wies have contributed significantly to their respective fields and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wies

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

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 Wies was:

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

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

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

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