2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wilkewitz
A surname of German origin meaning "one from Wilkau", a town in Saxony.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Wilkewitz. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkewitz 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Wilkewitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkewitz
The surname Wilkewitz is of Eastern European origin, specifically from the regions that now make up modern-day Germany and Poland. The name likely appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th centuries, a period marked by the fluid movement of populations in Central Europe and the spread of Germanic influence into Slavic territories.
Wilkewitz appears to be derived from Old Germanic and Slavic elements. The prefix "Wilk" can be traced back to the Germanic name "Wilhelm" (meaning "resolute protector"), while the suffix "witz" is a common Slavic diminutive. This blending of linguistic elements suggests that the name might have been borne by Germanic settlers in Slavic regions or by Slavic individuals who adopted Germanic naming conventions.
The earliest historical references to variations of the surname can be found in medieval manuscripts and town records in the regions of Pomerania and Brandenburg. In a 1387 record from the Pomeranian city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), a merchant by the name of Heinrich Wilkewitz is mentioned in a trade agreement, indicating the presence of the family in mercantile circles.
One of the earliest recorded examples is from the town of Marienburg in Prussia (modern-day Malbork, Poland), where a land grant in 1422 lists a nobleman named Otto Wilkewitz as a witness. This period saw the Teutonic Knights' influence, and it is probable that the Wilkewitz family gained prominence through martial or administrative service.
Historical references include Johann Wilkewitz, a notable scholar and theologian born in 1563 and passing away in 1621, who contributed significantly to early Protestant writings in the region of East Prussia. His works are still preserved in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library).
In the early 18th century, records mention Friedrich Wilkewitz, born in 1704, an influential landowner in the region of Silesia. His involvement in local politics and agriculture helped shape regional administrative practices. He passed away in 1771.
The surname also appears in military records. One notable figure is Captain Karl Wilkewitz, who served in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1769 and distinguished himself in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806, later serving until his death in 1822.
A contemporary of Karl was Maria Wilkewitz, born in 1791, who became known for her philanthropy in the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Maria established several orphanages and schools before her death in 1856, leaving a lasting legacy in the region.
The Wilkewitz nomenclature has undoubtedly evolved over centuries, with various spellings and adaptations due to the dynamic nature of regional languages and political shifts. The enduring presence of the surname in historical documents underscores its significance in the cultural and social tapestry of Eastern and Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkewitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkewitz 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 Wilkewitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkewitz
Wilkewitz 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,119 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 Wilkewitz 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 | #145,220 | #152,339 | -4.9% |
| Count | 114 | 106 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkewitz bearers went from 114 to 106 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,339.
FAQ
Wilkewitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkewitz?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Wilkewitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Wilkewitz?
Wilkewitz ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Wilkewitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Wilkewitz.
Has Wilkewitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkewitz went from 114 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkewitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Wilkewitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkewitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Wilkewitz (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 Wilkewitz mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "one from Wilkau", a town in Saxony. 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 Wilkewitz (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 Americans have the surname Wilkewitz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.