2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Winheim
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany, possibly meaning "windy home" or "windy settlement".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Winheim. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winheim 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Winheim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winheim
The surname Winheim finds its origins in Germany and has roots that trace back to the medieval period, particularly around the 12th and 13th centuries. The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and the Rhineland, areas known for their rich cultural and historical traditions. The surname is a compound of "win," an Old High German word meaning "friend" or "wine," and "heim," which translates to "home" or "settlement."
Early references to the name can be found in various medieval manuscripts and records. One of the earliest mentions is from the Codex diplomaticus, dating back to 1215, where a Lorenz Winheim is recorded as a landowner in the Rhineland region. This document offers valuable insight into the usage and prevalence of the name during that period.
By the 14th century, the name had established a notable presence in the region of Franconia. Records from 1367 identify a Johan von Winheim, a knight who participated in various local feuds and battles. This demonstrates how the surname began to be associated with individuals of status and influence.
Further historical instances highlight the surname’s persistence through the centuries. In 1483, a Conrad Winheim, a merchant from Nuremberg, is chronicled as having traveled across Europe for trade, bringing the name into wider recognition outside its place of origin. This expands on the geographical mobility and influence of bearers of the name.
Moving into the Renaissance period, records from the University of Heidelberg list a Nikolaus Winheim, born in 1528 and graduated in 1548, as a scholar in the humanities. His academic contributions and correspondences with other intellectuals further cemented the surname’s association with educational and scholarly pursuits.
It is also noteworthy that the name is connected to geographical locations. Winheim was adopted as a place name in several minor settlements in Germany, although some have since disappeared or merged under different names. This reveals a common practice where surnames and place names were interchangeable or influenced each other.
The historical trace of the surname Winheim showcases its evolution, from its linguistic origins in ancient German to its association with notable figures in various periods, as well as its geographical representation in place names. The surname’s journey is marked by appearances in significant historical documents and affiliations with social and academic advancements across centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winheim
Among Census respondents with the surname Winheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Winheim 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 Winheim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winheim
Winheim 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-17 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,523 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 24,523 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Winheim 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winheim bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Winheim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winheim?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Winheim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Winheim?
Winheim ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Winheim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Winheim.
Has Winheim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winheim went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Winheim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winheim, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Winheim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winheim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (3.3%). 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 Winheim (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 Winheim mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany, possibly meaning "windy home" or "windy settlement". 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 Winheim (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 common is the surname Winheim?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Winheim is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.