2000
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Wiesner
Derived from the Middle High German word "wisent" meaning "bison," likely referring to a person who hunted bison.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Wiesner. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiesner 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
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Wiesner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiesner
The surname Wiesner originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the Middle High German word "wise," meaning "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. In this manuscript, a person named Henricus Wisenere is mentioned in 1280.
The Wiesner name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Silesia, where it can be found in various historical records and documents. For instance, in the town of Görlitz, located in modern-day Germany, a family named Wiesner is mentioned in the town's chronicles as early as the 16th century.
A notable figure bearing the Wiesner name was Johann Wiesner, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1592 to 1667. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was known for his work on calculating the orbits of comets.
Another historical figure was Theodor Wiesner, a German architect born in 1863 and renowned for his work on numerous public buildings and churches in Berlin and other cities across Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 18th century, a family named Wiesner owned a prominent pottery business in the town of Radeberg, near Dresden, which produced high-quality ceramics and porcelain. Their products were widely appreciated and can be found in various museum collections today.
In the realm of literature, the German writer and poet Friedrich Wiesner (1849-1923) gained recognition for his works depicting rural life and the natural landscapes of his homeland.
The Wiesner name also found its way to other parts of Europe through migration. For instance, in the late 19th century, a family bearing the name settled in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where they established a successful business in the textile industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiesner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiesner 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 Wiesner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,529
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 193
- Two or more races2.8% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiesner
Wiesner 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
#10,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,938
+118 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 384 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-108 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,453 | 2,820 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,837 | 2,938 | 1.00 | +118 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 384 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -108 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 71 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 Wiesner 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 | #10,837 | #10,766 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,938 | 2,830 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.95 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiesner bearers went from 2,938 to 2,830 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,837 to #10,766.
FAQ
Wiesner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiesner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Wiesner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Wiesner?
Wiesner ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,830 people with the surname Wiesner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Wiesner.
Has Wiesner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiesner went from 2,938 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 108 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,837 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiesner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wiesner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiesner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Wiesner (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 Wiesner mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "wisent" meaning "bison," likely referring to a person who hunted bison. 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 Wiesner (0.95 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 Wiesner?
See how many people are called Wiesner on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.