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

Wigner, 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 Wigner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wigner in America

Wigner is the 71265th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wigner surname appeared 274 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 Wigner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wigner 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 Wigner

The surname Wigner is believed to have origins in Central Europe, particularly within Germany and Hungary. Its earliest documentation points to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th centuries. The name may be derived from the German word Wieg, meaning cradle, or the related occupational term Wiegner, indicating a maker or seller of cradles. Alternatively, it might have roots in the Middle High German word Wigan, which means to fight or battle, suggesting a warrior or soldier background.

One of the earliest historical references to the Wigner surname appears in old German records from the 14th century. Manuscripts from this period mention individuals with similar spellings, such as Wygner and Wägner, indicating a degree of variation in its written form. Additionally, the name appears in Hungarian records with the spelling Vígner, hinting at regional adaptations.

In the 15th century, the Wigner name appears in municipal records from regions now part of modern-day Germany. An example is Hans Wygner, recorded in 1478 as a resident and local merchant in Nuremberg. This suggests the surname was associated with trade and local businesses.

The name shows up again in the 16th century with Johann Wägner, a noted scholar and theologian born in 1525 and who died in 1598. His works contributed to the religious and intellectual life of the time, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were often engaged in learned professions.

Another notable bearer of the Wigner name was Wilhelm Wägner, born in 1800, a writer and historian in 19th-century Germany. His publications on Germanic history and mythology reflect the continued intellectual engagement of the Wigners across centuries.

In the 20th century, the most prominent figure bearing the surname Wigner is Eugene Wigner, born in 1902 in Hungary and passing away in 1995. Eugene was a physicist and mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles.

Additionally, Richard Wigner, a lesser-known 18th-century composer born in 1756, contributed significantly to the Western classical music repertoire, further diverse fields of prominence for those with this surname.

Through these historical references and notable individuals, the Wigner surname illustrates a rich tapestry of cultural, intellectual, and occupational diversity, spanning from the medieval period to modern times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wigner

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

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

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

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