2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wietzke
A surname of German origin meaning someone from the village of Witczak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Wietzke. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wietzke 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Wietzke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wietzke
The surname Wietzke is of German origin, specifically tracing back to the regions that are now part of northern and eastern Germany. The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th centuries, coinciding with the time when surnames began to be adopted widely in Europe. It is principally associated with areas like Pomerania, a historical region straddling modern-day Germany and Poland.
Wietzke may derive from the Old German words associated with distinctions of familial lineage or may be a diminutive form of the given name Wiecz or Witz, stemming from Slavic influences in the region. Variants and similar spellings such as Witzke, Wietze, and Wietzka are found in ancient scripts and documents, indicating its widespread use across different Germanic and Slavic speaking populations.
One historical reference to the surname Wietzke can be found in the 14th-century records of the Teutonic Order, a German medieval military order in Pomerania, which chronicled various members and associates. Another noteworthy document is the 1590 census of the Duchy of Pomerania, which lists several individuals bearing the Wietzke surname, showcasing the name's historical prevalence.
The earliest recorded examples of the surname Wietzke include Hans Wietzke, a notable figure born around 1450 in Mecklenburg, who was involved in local governance. Another early example is Jürgen Wietzke, born circa 1520, recorded as a landowner in Pomerania. These individuals mark the initial documented appearances of the Wietzke surname in historical records.
In terms of place names, the village of Wietze in Lower Saxony may share etymological roots with the surname, though it is not directly linked. The spelling variations across regions include Wietzke, Vitze, and Witzke, each reflecting the phonetic shifts in language evolution over time.
Famous bearers of the Wietzke surname include Johann Wietzke (1621-1690), a notable Pomeranian merchant, whose business activities are detailed in the Hanseatic League records. Friedrich Wietzke (1823-1884), a German chemist, contributed significantly to early industrial chemistry research. Marie Wietzke (1865-1940), a prominent suffragette, played an essential role in the women's rights movements in Prussia. Franz Wietzke (1895-1942), an accomplished composer of orchestral music, earned recognition in the early 20th century. More recently, Martin Wietzke (1930-1990), a historian, made substantial contributions to the understanding of medieval Germanic studies.
These individuals highlight the historical importance and cultural contributions of those bearing the Wietzke surname, reflecting its enduring legacy in various facets of European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wietzke
Among Census respondents with the surname Wietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wietzke 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 Wietzke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wietzke
Wietzke 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,631 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,778 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,631 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,778 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 Wietzke 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 | #140,157 | #150,935 | -7.7% |
| Count | 119 | 108 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wietzke bearers went from 119 to 108 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,778 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #150,935.
FAQ
Wietzke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wietzke?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Wietzke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Wietzke?
Wietzke ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Wietzke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wietzke.
Has Wietzke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wietzke went from 119 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Wietzke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wietzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) 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 Wietzke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wietzke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), 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 Wietzke (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 Wietzke mean?
A surname of German origin meaning someone from the village of Witczak. 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 Wietzke (0.04 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 last name Wietzke?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Wietzke at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.