2000
#11,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Wireman
An occupational surname referring to someone who installs or repairs electrical wiring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,870 Americans carry the last name Wireman. That puts it at #11,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wireman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wireman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,427
Census rank
#11,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,503 bearers of the surname Wireman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wireman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wireman
The surname Wireman originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English words "wir" meaning wire and "mann" meaning man. This occupational surname was initially given to individuals who worked with wire, such as wire-makers or wire-drawers.
Wireman is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with early spellings including Wyreman, Wiereman, and Wyrman. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a Henry le Wyreman.
During the 14th century, the surname Wireman began to spread across various regions of England, particularly in counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Nottinghamshire recorded a Robert Wyreman, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 for Yorkshire listed a John Wyreman.
In the 15th century, the surname Wireman appeared in the records of the Court of the Vintry in London, which documented legal proceedings related to the wine trade. A notable entry from 1437 mentions a Thomas Wyreman involved in a case concerning the sale of wine.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Wireman was John Wireman, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of York during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He served as Lord Mayor of York in 1501 and was a prominent figure in the city's civic affairs.
Another notable individual with the surname Wireman was William Wireman, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th century. Born in Lincolnshire around 1550, he studied at the University of Cambridge and later became a prominent scholar and author, publishing works on religious and philosophical subjects.
In the 17th century, the surname Wireman continued to be found across various parts of England, with records showing individuals with this surname residing in counties such as Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. One example is Richard Wireman, a landowner and farmer from Derbyshire, who was mentioned in the parish records of Ashbourne in the 1640s.
During the 18th century, the Wireman surname gained some prominence in the military, with several individuals bearing this name serving in the British Army. One notable figure was Captain Edward Wireman, who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the surname Wireman became associated with various trades and professions related to wire production and metalworking. For instance, John Wireman, born in Birmingham in 1820, was a renowned wire manufacturer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the wire industry in the West Midlands region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wireman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wireman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wireman 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 Wireman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,346
- Two or more races3.5% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wireman
Wireman 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
#11,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,753
+163 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#11,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,503
-250 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,220 | 2,590 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,440 | 2,753 | 0.93 | +163 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #11,942 | 2,503 | 0.84 | -250 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 502 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 Wireman 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 | #11,440 | #11,942 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,753 | 2,503 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.84 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wireman bearers went from 2,753 to 2,503 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 502 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,440 to #11,942.
FAQ
Wireman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wireman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,870 living Americans carry the surname Wireman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,427 residents.
How common is Wireman?
Wireman ranks #11,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,503 people with the surname Wireman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Wireman.
Has Wireman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wireman went from 2,753 recorded bearers to 2,503. That is a decrease of 250 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,440 to #11,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Wireman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wireman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Wireman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wireman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Wireman (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 Wireman mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who installs or repairs electrical wiring. 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 Wireman (0.84 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 last name Wireman?
If you just want to know how many people are called Wireman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.