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

Wingler, 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 Wingler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wingler in America

Wingler is the 17809th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wingler surname appeared 1,572 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wingler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wingler 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 Wingler

The surname Wingler has its roots in Germany, predominantly in the central and southern regions. It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name may derive from the Middle High German word "Winkel," meaning a corner or a bend, suggesting a geographic origin. Individuals with the surname might have lived near a distinctive bend or corner in a landscape, and the suffix -er suggests someone from or who works with such places.

Records from the 14th century show early mentions of similar spellings like "Winkeler" and "Winkler," which could be precursors or regional variants of Wingler. During this time, surnames were becoming hereditary, and the formation of names was often descriptive of the bearer's environment or occupation. One of the earliest recorded mentions of a person with a similar name is Hans Winkler, a miller documented in Bavarian records in 1398.

Johann Wingler, a notable figure in the 16th century, was documented in church records as a merchant in the city of Augsburg, born in 1542 and active until his death in 1611. His movement and business dealings across German principalities illustrate the name's presence in significant economic centers of the time.

In the 17th century, records show multiple Winglers in the Franconian region, suggesting a spread and establishment within rural and semi-urban communities. Maria Wingler, born in 1623 in Nuremberg, became a known figure for her philanthropic work during the Thirty Years' War, helping to establish aid programs for war-affected families until her death in 1687.

Another significant individual was Peter Wingler, born in 1789 in the Black Forest region. He was an inventor and clockmaker who contributed to the early developments in chronometry. He later moved to Switzerland, where his work influenced local clockmaking traditions until his death in 1854.

In the 19th century, the Wingler name made a transcontinental leap. Friedrich Wingler, born in 1834 in Württemberg, emigrated to the United States during the wave of German immigration in the 1850s. He settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer and community member, marking a new chapter for the Wingler name abroad. His descendants continued to live and spread the name in the New World.

The modern variation and presence of the surname Wingler across continents reflect historical migrations and an enduring legacy originating from a specific geographical descriptor in medieval Germany. The historical records and notable individuals who carried the name illustrate the various paths taken by those connected to this unique surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wingler

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

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

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

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