Woerner last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Woerner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Woerner.

Meaning of Woerner

A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a dam or weir.

Woerner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Woerner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woerner in America

Woerner is the 11984th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woerner surname appeared 2,606 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Woerner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woerner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 11984 11237 6.43%
Count 2,606 2,586 0.77%
Proportion per 100k 0.88 0.96 -8.70%

The history of the last name Woerner

The surname WOERNER has its origins in Germany, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "wohnen," which means "to dwell" or "to reside." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to an inhabitant of a particular dwelling or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WOERNER can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, dated around the year 1380. Here, a certain "Hans Woerner" is mentioned as a resident of the city. The name also appears in various other documents from the region, such as tax records and property deeds, throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the 17th century, the name WOERNER gained prominence with the birth of Johann Woerner (1633-1718), a German Protestant theologian and philosopher. He was a renowned scholar of his time and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.

Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Woerner (1781-1842), a German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Berlin and made significant contributions to the field of jurisprudence through his writings and teachings.

The name WOERNER also has connections to place names in Germany. For instance, the town of Wörnitzostheim in Bavaria is believed to have derived its name from the Old German word "Worniza," which is similar to the root of the surname WOERNER.

In the 19th century, the WOERNER family produced several notable figures. One such individual was Joseph Woerner (1836-1901), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. His works included churches, schools, and residences, and he played a significant role in shaping the architectural landscape of the city.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Wilhelm Woerner (1880-1964), a German politician and diplomat. He served as the Foreign Minister of Germany from 1933 to 1938 and played a crucial role in shaping the country's foreign policy during the early years of the Nazi regime.

Throughout its history, the surname WOERNER has been associated with various occupations and professions, from scholars and theologians to architects and politicians. Its roots can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for residents or dwellers of a particular location.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woerner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Woerner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Woerner was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.55% 2,464
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.42% 11
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.96% 25
Hispanic Origin 3.76% 98

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Woerner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.55% 95.98% -1.50%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.42% 0.50% -17.39%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.96% 0.89% 7.57%
Hispanic 3.76% 2.36% 45.75%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Woerner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Woerner, please contact us.

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"Woerner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/woerner-surname-popularity/.

"Woerner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/woerner-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Woerner last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/woerner-surname-popularity/.

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