Wieser last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wieser

A Germanic surname referring to one from a meadow or grassy field.

Wieser, 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 Wieser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wieser in America

Wieser is the 17839th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wieser surname appeared 1,568 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wieser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wieser 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 17839 16571 7.37%
Count 1,568 1,595 -1.71%
Proportion per 100k 0.53 0.59 -10.71%

The history of the last name Wieser

The surname Wieser has its origins in German-speaking regions, specifically within what is now modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Historical records suggest that the surname began to appear in these areas during the Middle Ages, around the 13th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Old High German word "wisa," meaning "meadow" or "pasture." This indicates a possible connection to geographical features, suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have lived near or worked in meadow lands.

The spelling of the surname has remained quite consistent over time, although variations such as Wiser, Wiesser, and several others have been documented. The Wieser name appears in old tax records, land grants, and other official documents from the 14th century onward. For instance, the name is recorded in the Annals of the City of Augsburg in 1372, reflecting its historical and regional prevalence.

One of the earliest recorded examples of this surname is a Heinrich Wieser, mentioned in a 1386 document concerning land ownership in Bavaria. Another notable figure is Georg Wieser, born in 1505 and a known figure within the Tyrolean mining industry during the 16th century. His contributions to mining technology were well-documented and had significant impacts on the field.

During the 19th century, Johann Wieser gained prominence as an important political figure in Austria, being born in 1823 and passing away in 1898. He played a vital role in local governance and contributed to regional agricultural development. Hans Wieser, born in 1921 and deceased in 1984, was a prominent Swiss academic known for his groundbreaking research in physics.

Another famous bearer of the surname was Franz Wieser, an explorer and cartographer born in the early 18th century. His maps of South America were highly regarded and used extensively during his time. His birth year is recorded as 1702 and his death in 1779.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname had spread to various parts of Europe and even North America due to immigration. An influential figure during this time was Karl Wieser, a German author and philosopher. He was born in 1867 and his works contributed significantly to cultural and philosophical discourses until his death in 1941.

In summary, the surname Wieser has a rich history rooted in Germanic regions, with a meaning tied intricately to the natural landscape. Its bearers have made notable contributions across various fields throughout history, and its presence in old records underscores its longstanding usage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wieser

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

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 Wieser was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.34% 1,495
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.89% 14
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.72% 27
Hispanic Origin 1.47% 23

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.34% 98.06% -2.81%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.89% 0.44% 67.67%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.72% 0.88% 64.62%
Hispanic 1.47% 0.50% 98.48%

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

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

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

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

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

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