2000
#8,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Wimer
Derived from a German surname meaning "willful" or "resolute," originating from the Middle High German word "willahalm."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,963 Americans carry the last name Wimer. That puts it at #9,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,489 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wimer 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
4.0K
1 in 86,489
Census rank
#9,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,456 bearers of the surname Wimer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wimer
The surname WIMER is of German origin, deriving from the Old High German word "wimuari" or "wimare," which means "someone who lives near a meadow or forest clearing." This name first appeared in the 9th century in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria.
The earliest recorded instance of the WIMER surname dates back to the 12th century, when a Wilhelm Wimer was documented in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiasticarum, a medieval manuscript containing records of land transactions in the Archdiocese of Salzburg. This suggests that the name was already well-established in southern Germany by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the WIMER name was also found in various forms, such as Wimmer, Wymmer, and Weimer, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and spelling. For example, in 1327, a Heinricus Wymmer was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne.
In the 16th century, the WIMER surname gained prominence when Johann Wimer (1498-1558), a German theologian and reformer, became one of the leading figures of the Protestant Reformation in Saxony. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Lutheran church.
Another notable bearer of the WIMER name was Johann Heinrich Wimer (1679-1736), a German architect and builder who worked extensively in the Baroque style. He was responsible for the construction of several churches and palaces in the Rhineland region, including the St. Nikolaus Church in Brühl and the Schloss Augustusburg in Brühl.
In the 19th century, the WIMER surname spread beyond Germany as a result of emigration. One such individual was Friedrich Wimer (1809-1887), a German-American immigrant who settled in Ohio and became a prominent businessman and politician. He served as the mayor of Cincinnati from 1859 to 1861.
Another famous WIMER was Arthur Wimer (1858-1936), an American artist and illustrator known for his depictions of Native American life. He was born in Pennsylvania and spent several years living among the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes, capturing their traditions and customs in his paintings.
While the WIMER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across Europe and the Americas, with bearers of this surname making significant contributions in various fields, including religion, architecture, politics, and art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wimer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wimer 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 Wimer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,169
- Two or more races3.6% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- Black or African American0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wimer
Wimer 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
#9,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,571
-89 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 818 places
2020
#9,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
-115 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,321 | 3,660 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,139 | 3,571 | 1.21 | -89 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 818 places |
| 2020 | #9,081 | 3,456 | 1.16 | -115 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 58 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 Wimer 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 | #9,139 | #9,081 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,571 | 3,456 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.16 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wimer bearers went from 3,571 to 3,456 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,139 to #9,081.
FAQ
Wimer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wimer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,963 living Americans carry the surname Wimer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,489 residents.
How common is Wimer?
Wimer ranks #9,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,456 people with the surname Wimer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wimer.
Has Wimer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wimer went from 3,571 recorded bearers to 3,456. That is a decrease of 115 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,139 to #9,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Wimer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Wimer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wimer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Wimer (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 Wimer mean?
Derived from a German surname meaning "willful" or "resolute," originating from the Middle High German word "willahalm." 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 Wimer (1.16 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 Wimer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.