2000
#12,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Wirt
A German occupational surname derived from the word "wirt," meaning an innkeeper, tavern owner, or host.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,327 Americans carry the last name Wirt. That puts it at #14,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wirt 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
2.3K
1 in 147,295
Census rank
#14,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,029 bearers of the surname Wirt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wirt
The surname WIRT is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "wirt," which means "host" or "innkeeper." The name likely referred to someone who worked as an innkeeper or operated a tavern or inn.
The earliest known record of the WIRT surname appears in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, Germany, in the year 1349. This record mentions a person named Hans Wirt, who was a tavern owner in the town. The name is also found in other parts of Germany during this time period, suggesting that it was not uncommon for people in the hospitality industry to adopt the surname.
In the 15th century, the WIRT surname is recorded in various German chronicles and records, including the Nuremberg Chronicle, which was a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. One of the notable individuals mentioned in this chronicle is a man named Konrad Wirt, who lived in the city of Nuremberg and was a successful merchant and trader.
Over the centuries, the WIRT surname has been associated with several notable figures. In the 16th century, there was a German scholar and humanist named Erasmus Wirt (1522-1588), who was known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy. Another prominent individual was Johann Georg Wirt (1591-1652), a German composer and organist who lived during the Baroque period.
In the 18th century, a famous German writer and philosopher named Johann Baptist Wirt (1742-1819) gained recognition for his works on education and philosophy. He was a proponent of the German Romantic movement and his ideas influenced many educators and thinkers of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, there was a German-American artist named William Wirt (1832-1904), who was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West. He was part of the Hudson River School of painters and his works are now part of several museum collections.
Throughout its history, the WIRT surname has maintained its German roots and has been found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other countries where Germans have settled, such as the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wirt
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wirt 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 Wirt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,771
- Black or African American6.4% · 129
- Two or more races2.9% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wirt
Wirt 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
#12,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
+142 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 237 places
2020
#14,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,029
-353 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,301 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,667 | 2,240 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,904 | 2,382 | 0.81 | +142 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 237 places |
| 2020 | #14,205 | 2,029 | 0.68 | -353 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,301 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 Wirt 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 | #12,904 | #14,205 | -10.1% |
| Count | 2,382 | 2,029 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.68 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wirt bearers went from 2,382 to 2,029 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,301 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,904 to #14,205.
FAQ
Wirt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wirt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,327 living Americans carry the surname Wirt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,295 residents.
How common is Wirt?
Wirt ranks #14,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,029 people with the surname Wirt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Wirt.
Has Wirt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wirt went from 2,382 recorded bearers to 2,029. That is a decrease of 353 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,904 to #14,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Wirt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wirt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wirt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wirt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wirt (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 Wirt mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "wirt," meaning an innkeeper, tavern owner, or host. 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 Wirt (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Wirt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.