2000
#102,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Wittliff
A German surname derived from the elements "Witt" meaning "woods" and "liff" which may refer to a person living near or in a wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 163 Americans carry the last name Wittliff. That puts it at #126,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,102,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittliff 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
163
1 in 2,102,787
Census rank
#126,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
142
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 142 bearers of the surname Wittliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 126357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittliff
The surname Wittliff is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions known today as Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, regions with a rich history of name evolution influenced by various Germanic tribes. The earliest references to this surname date back to the late medieval period, approximately the 14th and 15th centuries. The surname is derived from a combination of old Germanic words, with "witt" meaning "white" or "blonde" and "leif" or "liuf" referring to "dear" or "beloved." Thus, Wittliff might have initially been a descriptive name, possibly indicating someone with fair hair or a beloved person.
Historical records, such as tax registries and local municipal documents from these areas, bear mentions of the surname in various forms, such as Witliff, Wittlief, and Vitlief. One of the earliest recorded examples is Hans Wittliff, mentioned in a 1532 tax registry in Lübeck, a major trading city in northern Germany known for its meticulous records. This documentation suggests that members of the Wittliff family were involved in trade or local governance.
Another prominent figure, Johann Wittliff, born in 1610 and died in 1672, served as a town councilor in Hannover. His contributions to the administrative reforms of the city are well documented in the municipal records, and he was known for his work on the construction of the city’s first public library. His lineage continued to play significant roles in local administration throughout the 17th century.
The name also appears in maritime records from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicative of the surname's presence among the seafaring communities of northern Germany. A key historical reference is Klaus Wittliff, a ship captain born in 1667, who was involved in several significant trade expeditions to the Baltics and is mentioned in the records of the Hanseatic League, a historic commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds.
In the realm of academia, Friedrich Wittliff, born in 1785 and a noted linguist, made considerable contributions to the study of Low German dialects. His works, published in the early 19th century, are still referenced by scholars studying early Germanic languages and their dialects.
Finally, the surname made its way to the United States with immigrants in the late 19th century. Among them was Karl Wittliff, born in 1845, who emigrated to Texas in 1873. He established himself as a successful farmer and became a notable figure in the German-American community in New Braunfels, Texas. His descendants continued to influence the cultural landscape of the region.
These historical instances reveal the evolution of the Wittliff surname across centuries and its association with various professions and contributions to local communities, reflecting a rich history embedded in Germanic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittliff 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 Wittliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 129
- Two or more races4.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittliff
Wittliff 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
-13 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,138 places
2020
#126,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-7 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,528 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,691 | 162 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 14,138 places |
| 2020 | #126,357 | 142 | 0.05 | -7 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 9,528 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 Wittliff 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 | #116,829 | #126,357 | -8.2% |
| Count | 149 | 142 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittliff bearers went from 149 to 142 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 9,528 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #126,357.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wittliff
FAQ
Wittliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittliff?
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the surname Wittliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,102,787 residents.
How common is Wittliff?
Wittliff ranks #126,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 142 people with the surname Wittliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Wittliff.
Has Wittliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittliff went from 149 recorded bearers to 142. That is a decrease of 7 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #126,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wittliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wittliff (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 Wittliff mean?
A German surname derived from the elements "Witt" meaning "woods" and "liff" which may refer to a person living near or in a wooded area. 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 Wittliff (0.05 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 Wittliff?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Wittliff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.