2000
#11,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Woerner
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a dam or weir.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,820 Americans carry the last name Woerner. That puts it at #12,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Woerner 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
2.8K
1 in 121,544
Census rank
#12,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,459 bearers of the surname Woerner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Woerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Woerner
Among Census respondents with the surname Woerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Woerner 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 Woerner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,250
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 139
- Two or more races1.9% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Woerner
Woerner 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
#11,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,606
+20 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 747 places
2020
#12,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
-147 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,237 | 2,586 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,984 | 2,606 | 0.88 | +20 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 747 places |
| 2020 | #12,100 | 2,459 | 0.82 | -147 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 116 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 Woerner 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 | #11,984 | #12,100 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,606 | 2,459 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.82 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Woerner bearers went from 2,606 to 2,459 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,984 to #12,100.
FAQ
Woerner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Woerner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,820 living Americans carry the surname Woerner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,544 residents.
How common is Woerner?
Woerner ranks #12,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,459 people with the surname Woerner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Woerner.
Has Woerner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Woerner went from 2,606 recorded bearers to 2,459. That is a decrease of 147 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,984 to #12,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Woerner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Woerner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Woerner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Woerner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Woerner (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 Woerner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a dam or weir. 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 Woerner (0.82 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 Woerner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.