2010
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Willprecht
An occupational surname referring to one who provided provisions and supplies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Willprecht. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Willprecht 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Willprecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Willprecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Willprecht
The surname Willprecht has its origins in Germany, likely emerging during the High Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Old High German elements "willio," meaning "will" or "desire," and "beraht," meaning "bright" or "famous." This combination suggests the name originally referred to someone who was "of bright will" or "determined and illustrious."
Initially, the name was concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where strong Germanic tribal influences prevailed. Early forms of the name can be found in medieval manuscripts and church records. Variations in spelling were common due to the lack of standardized orthography, with forms like Wilprecht and Willbrecht appearing in historical documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Heinrich Willprecht, a feudal lord mentioned in a 1235 deed in Bavaria. This document pertained to the transfer of land ownership and highlights the significance of the Willprecht family in local governance and landholding.
By the mid-14th century, the name appears in the records of the burgeoning trade cities of northern Germany. A notable individual is Johannes Willprecht, born circa 1300, who gained prominence as a merchant in Lübeck. Records from the Hanseatic League chronicle his extensive trading activities across the Baltic Sea region.
The name migrated eastward by the 15th century, with references to the Willprecht family in Polish and Bohemian chronicles. An influential figure was Wilhelm Willprecht, born around 1470, an advisor to the court of King Vladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia. His diplomatic efforts were instrumental in negotiating treaties with various European states.
Entering the Late Renaissance, the name also appears in academic and artistic circles. Matthias Willprecht, born in 1532, became a celebrated painter in Nuremberg, contributing to the rich tapestry of German Renaissance art. His works, now considered invaluable, feature in several prominent European art collections.
The 17th century brought the name into a scholarly realm with the emergence of Conrad Willprecht, born in 1615. As a professor of theology at the University of Leipzig, his writings and sermons significantly influenced religious thought during the Protestant Reformation.
In summary, the surname Willprecht has a storied history rooted in medieval Germany, reflecting a blend of noble, mercantile, and scholarly traditions. The name evolved through various regions and occupations, highlighting its bearers' integral roles in shaping European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Willprecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Willprecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Willprecht 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 Willprecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Willprecht
Willprecht appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-14 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 14,418 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 Willprecht 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 | #130,610 | #145,028 | -11.0% |
| Count | 130 | 116 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Willprecht bearers went from 130 to 116 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 14,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #145,028.
FAQ
Willprecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Willprecht?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Willprecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Willprecht?
Willprecht ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Willprecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Willprecht.
Has Willprecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Willprecht went from 130 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Willprecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Willprecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Willprecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Willprecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Willprecht (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 Willprecht mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who provided provisions and supplies. 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 Willprecht (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 surname Willprecht?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.