2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Woellner
A German surname derived from a location name associated with woolen cloth or textiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Woellner. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woellner 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Woellner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Woellner
The surname Woellner originates from Germany and can be traced back to the medieval period, specifically within the regions that are now known as the states of Saxony and Brandenburg. The name is rooted in Middle High German, where "Wohl" denotes wealth or good fortune, and "n" and "er" are suffixes typically signifying occupation or origin, translating roughly to "someone from a place of wealth" or "prosperous person."
The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 14th century. Manuscripts from this period reveal various spellings of the surname, including Wöllner and Woellner. One of the oldest records appears in a 1385 document from Brandenburg, listing a Hannes Woellner as a landowner, suggesting the family had accumulated some wealth and status at that time.
One notable historical figure with the surname was Johann Christoph Woellner, born in 1732 and died in 1800. He was a prominent Prussian statesman and a key figure in implementing educational reforms under King Frederick William II. Woellner's introduction of religious intolerance acts also significantly impacted Prussian society.
Another documented individual is Georg Friedrich Woellner, an artisan from Saxony, born in 1587 and died in 1640. His manuscripts and craftsmanship are preserved in local museums, highlighting the family's involvement in skilled trades and the arts.
An interesting entry appears in the records of the Hanseatic League from the late 15th century. A merchant named Heinrich Woellner of Lübeck is credited with advancing trade routes across the Baltic Sea, further indicating the surname's association with wealth and commerce.
In the 19th century, Friedrich August Woellner, born in 1803 and died in 1867, emerged as a significant figure in the fields of philosophy and theology. His academic contributions at the University of Leipzig helped shape contemporary interpretations of Protestant thought.
Lastly, the name is associated with a prominent military figure, Wilhelm Woellner, born in 1862 and died in 1924. He served as a general in the Prussian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was noted for his strategic acumen and leadership in several key battles of the era.
Throughout history, the Woellner surname has been intrinsically linked to prosperity, craftsmanship, academia, and significant civic and military contributions within German society. The various spellings and instances in historical records underscore the name's enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woellner
Among Census respondents with the surname Woellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Woellner 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 Woellner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 103
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woellner
Woellner 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-14 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,785 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 23,785 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 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 Woellner 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 | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woellner bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Woellner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woellner?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Woellner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Woellner?
Woellner ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Woellner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Woellner.
Has Woellner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woellner went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Woellner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Woellner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woellner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Black (2.6%). 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 Woellner (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 Woellner mean?
A German surname derived from a location name associated with woolen cloth or textiles. 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 Woellner (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 have the surname Woellner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.