2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wisco
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Wisco, Wisconsin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Wisco. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wisco 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Wisco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisco, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wisco
The surname Wisco has a relatively obscure and complex etymology, with its roots primarily traced back to Eastern Europe, notably regions within Poland and Germany. The name likely originated during the medieval period, around the 14th to 16th centuries, a time marked by significant migrations and the blending of cultures.
In Poland, the name Wisco might have derived from a diminutive or a stylistic variation of the Old Polish name Wis, which means "to know" or "knowledgeable." Another potential root word is "Vis," derived from the river Wisla (Vistula), suggesting a toponymic origin related to those living near the Vistula River. In Germany, the name could have connections to the Middle High German word "Wisch," meaning "meadow" or "pasture," indicating a geographical or occupational link to farming or land.
The earliest known records of the surname Wisco are sparse but not entirely absent. One of the initial mentions of the name can be found in a 1479 Polish document detailing land grants, referencing a Jan Wisco, a minor nobleman who received lands near present-day Kraków. This suggests that individuals with the surname Wisco were involved in early administrative and land-related roles.
As with many medieval surnames, Wisco likely underwent various transformations as it moved across regions and languages. In historical manuscripts, variants such as Wiszko, Wiski, and Wisko have appeared. The adaptation of spelling often depended on the local linguistic and orthographic conventions, leading to multiple versions recorded across different areas.
Several individuals have borne the surname Wisco throughout history, contributing to various fields. One notable figure is Peter Wisco, born in 1622 and died in 1689, a German land surveyor who worked extensively mapping central German territories during the tumultuous Thirty Years' War. Another significant person is Maria Teresa Wisco, born in 1715 and died in 1782, a Polish poet whose works were featured in several anthologies of that period. Antoni Wisco, born in 1810 and died in 1874, was a noted Polish medical practitioner and political activist involved in the November Uprising of 1830 against Russian rule.
In the 19th century, records indicate a Johann Wisco, born 1833 and died 1902, who migrated from Prussia to the United States, becoming a prominent settler and founder of a small farming community in Wisconsin. This migration highlights the transatlantic movement of the surname during periods of social upheaval and economic prospects in the New World.
By mapping the surname's historical contexts and variations, we glimpse into the intricate tapestry of Wisco's etymology, highlighting its geographic, linguistic, and cultural significance over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wisco
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisco, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wisco 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 Wisco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander50.5% · 54
- White42.1% · 45
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wisco
Wisco appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,292 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 Wisco 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 | #148,347 | #151,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wisco bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #151,639.
FAQ
Wisco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wisco?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Wisco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Wisco?
Wisco ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Wisco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Wisco.
Has Wisco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wisco went from 111 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Wisco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisco, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wisco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wisco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (50.5%), White (42.1%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Wisco (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 Wisco mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Wisco, Wisconsin. 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 Wisco (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 many people are called Wisco?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Wisco at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.