2000
#19,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Wilkening
A topographic name for someone living near a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,396 Americans carry the last name Wilkening. That puts it at #21,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 245,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkening 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
1.4K
1 in 245,526
Census rank
#21,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,217 bearers of the surname Wilkening in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkening
The surname Wilkening has its origins in Germany, specifically within the regions known today as Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The name can be traced back to the medieval period, roughly around the 13th or 14th centuries. It is derived from the given name Wilhelm, which itself originates from the Germanic elements "wil," meaning "will" or "desire," and "helm," meaning "helmet" or "protection." The suffix "ning" or "en" is a diminutive or patronymic form, indicating "son of" or "descendant of," hence Wilkening essentially means "descendant of Wilhelm."
The earliest records of the surname Wilkening appear in feudal documents and regional registries from the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable reference dates back to 1378, where the name appears in the municipal archives of the town of Hanover. This region has a long-standing tradition of detailed record-keeping, often involving local nobility and significant town figures, which helps in tracing the lineage of families bearing this surname.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with this surname is Heinrich Wilkening, a landowner mentioned in 1442 in records from Osnabrück. Another early instance includes Fritz Wilkening, who served as a local council member in Bremen in 1502. These early examples indicate that the Wilkening family had established a presence in the socio-political landscape of these flourishing medieval towns.
The surname Wilkening saw various spellings throughout history based on regional dialects and the evolution of the German language. Variations including Wilken and Wilckens were not uncommon, found in marriage and baptismal records in different Germanic territories. During the 17th and 18th centuries, as migration increased within Europe, the name Wilkening spread to other parts of the continent, including what is today the Netherlands and Poland.
Notable individuals bearing the name include Johann Heinrich Wilkening, born in 1732, who was a well-regarded theologian and scholar in Göttingen. Another prominent figure, Emilie Wilkening, born in 1845 and died in 1912, was an influential figure in the women's suffrage movement in North Rhine-Westphalia. During the 20th century, Friedrich Karl Wilkening made significant contributions to the field of engineering; he was born in 1898 and played a pivotal role in the post-WWII reconstruction efforts in Germany.
Additionally, Wilhelm Wilkening, born in 1801 and died in 1867, was a noted composer and a contemporary of the more famous German Romantic composers. His works, albeit not as widely known, contributed to the rich tapestry of 19th-century German music. In the latter half of the 20th century, Hans Dieter Wilkening, born in 1932, was a respected historian whose scholarly works on medieval German towns are still referenced today.
The surname Wilkening captures a rich history woven through various facets of medieval and modern European life, chronicling contributions in theology, social movements, engineering, music, and academic scholarship. These historical footprints contribute to a deeper understanding of the name and the diverse legacies of individuals who carried it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkening
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkening 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 Wilkening surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,123
- Two or more races3.4% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkening
Wilkening 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
#20,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,284
-15 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 1,325 places
2020
#21,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,217
-67 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,302 | 1,299 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,627 | 1,284 | 0.44 | -15 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,325 places |
| 2020 | #21,799 | 1,217 | 0.41 | -67 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 1,172 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 Wilkening 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 | #20,627 | #21,799 | -5.7% |
| Count | 1,284 | 1,217 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.41 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkening bearers went from 1,284 to 1,217 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 1,172 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,627 to #21,799.
FAQ
Wilkening surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkening?
Name Census estimates that about 1,396 living Americans carry the surname Wilkening. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 245,526 residents.
How common is Wilkening?
Wilkening ranks #21,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,217 people with the surname Wilkening. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Wilkening.
Has Wilkening become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkening went from 1,284 recorded bearers to 1,217. That is a decrease of 67 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,627 to #21,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkening?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wilkening in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkening appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Wilkening (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 Wilkening mean?
A topographic name for someone living near a small stream or brook. 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 Wilkening (0.41 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 share the surname Wilkening?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.