Wiesen last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wiesen

An occupational surname derived from German meaning "meadow" or "grassland".

Wiesen, 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 Wiesen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiesen in America

Wiesen is the 26422nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiesen surname appeared 924 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 Wiesen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiesen 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 26422 26292 0.49%
Count 924 874 5.56%
Proportion per 100k 0.31 0.32 -3.17%

The history of the last name Wiesen

The surname Wiesen has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe. Emerging during the medieval period, it is believed to have originated in what is now present-day Germany. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "wiese" and the Old High German word "wisa," both meaning "meadow" or "pasture." These words indicate that the surname was most likely topographical in nature, given to those living near or on a meadow.

Early records of the surname Wiesen can be traced back to various medieval documents and registers. Although no specific family-associated records compare to landmark documents like the Domesday Book of England, regional documents from the Holy Roman Empire shed light on the surname's historical occurrences. One notable early mention dates back to the 13th century in the form of Hugo de Wiesen, a landowner in the region known today as Hesse, Germany.

The name appeared in various forms in old manuscripts, depending on regional dialects and the evolution of the spelling. In some historical records, alternative spellings such as Wysen have been found. This indicates a slight phonetic variation while retaining the original meaning related to meadows or pastures.

One of the earliest recorded distinguished individuals with the surname was Conrad Wiesen, a noted 15th-century German merchant from Frankfurt, born in 1420 and passing away in 1491. He was known for his contributions to the local economy and was a prominent figure in the city's trade sector during that time.

In the 17th century, another notable figure was Johann Wiesen, born in 1625, who was a well-respected blacksmith in the region of Bavaria. His skills and craftsmanship were widely recognized, and he contributed to the local community through his work until his death in 1670.

In the 18th century, Maria Wiesen, born in 1750, was another significant individual, recognized for her philanthropy in the region of Thuringia. She worked actively in community development and welfare projects until her death in 1812.

Turning to the 19th century, Friedrich Wiesen, born in 1822, became a notable figure in Prussian politics. He was a prominent advocate for social reforms and played a significant role in the German political landscape through the mid-1800s, passing away in 1875.

In the early 20th century, the surname appeared internationally with figures like Karl Wiesen, an influential architect born in 1890 in Vienna, who contributed significantly to modernist architectural movements until his death in 1948.

Therefore, the surname Wiesen embodies a rich historical tradition with roots deeply embedded in the German-speaking regions, signifying the connection of its bearers to meadows or pastures through the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiesen

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

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 Wiesen was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.56% 883
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.97% 9
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.62% 15
Hispanic Origin 1.30% 12

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.56% 94.51% 1.10%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.97% 0.80% 19.21%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 1.49% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.62% 1.83% -12.17%
Hispanic 1.30% 1.37% -5.24%

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

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

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"Wiesen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiesen-surname-popularity/.

"Wiesen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiesen-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Wiesen last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wiesen-surname-popularity/.

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