2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wohlever
A German surname meaning "one who lives well" or "prosperous one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Wohlever. 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 Wohlever 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 Wohlever 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 Wohlever, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wohlever
The surname Wohlever finds its origins in Germany, a country known for its rich history and diverse linguistic heritage. It appears to have emerged in the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries. The name is thought to stem from an occupational or descriptive term, possibly arising from the Middle High German words "wohl," meaning "well" or "good," and "lever," which may be a derivative of "lieber," meaning "beloved" or "dear." This combination could have originally referred to a person of good repute or someone who was well-liked within their community.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Wohlever appear in various legal and civil records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. An example includes an entry in a 1376 tax register from Bamberg, documenting a Hans Wohlever, a prosperous landowner. Manuscripts from the 15th century occasionally feature the surname in conjunction with civic duties, thus indicating the bearer's status and involvement in local governance.
The name appeared in different forms due to regional dialects and phonetic spellings. Various historical records list names such as Wohlleber, Wollleber, and Wohllever, which helped trace the etymological evolution of the surname. Notable individuals include Georg Wohlever born in 1488, a merchant who played a significant role in the trade routes between Bavaria and Saxony. His name appears in several trading receipts and merchant guild records well into the 1530s.
The thirty years' war saw the displacement and migration of many German families, including those with the surname Wohlever. A Johann Wohlever was documented as having moved to Switzerland in 1631, where his descendants continued to bear the name in canton Zürich records.
In England, archival traces include a mention of Ludwig Wohlever, a silversmith who relocated to London around 1685 and worked in the thriving trade district of Goldsmiths' Lane. His hallmark appears on several artifact pieces still preserved in the British Museum, symbolizing a mark of high craftsmanship.
Another prominent figure includes Heinrich Wohlever, born in 1705, who became a noted educator and published multiple works on Germanic folklore and linguistics. His contributions to cultural studies remain referenced in historical texts. Heinrich's academic legacy continued through his descendants who also pursued careers in education and literature.
The surname transferred across the Atlantic during the waves of European immigration to the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries. Records from the Port of Philadelphia in 1753 list a passenger named Michael Wohlever arriving aboard the ship, Adventure, signifying the expansion of the surname into new regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wohlever
Among Census respondents with the surname Wohlever, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wohlever 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 Wohlever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 113
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wohlever
Wohlever 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,188 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 8,188 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,355 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 Wohlever 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 | #141,140 | #146,495 | -3.8% |
| Count | 118 | 114 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wohlever bearers went from 118 to 114 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #146,495.
FAQ
Wohlever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wohlever?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Wohlever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Wohlever?
Wohlever 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 Wohlever. 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 Wohlever.
Has Wohlever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wohlever went from 118 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Wohlever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wohlever, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Wohlever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wohlever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Wohlever (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 Wohlever mean?
A German surname meaning "one who lives well" or "prosperous one." 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 Wohlever (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 Wohlever?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.