Wollersheim last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wollersheim

A surname indicating someone from the village of Wollersheim in Germany.

Wollersheim, 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 Wollersheim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wollersheim in America

Wollersheim is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wollersheim surname appeared 194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wollersheim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wollersheim 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 94311 91801 2.70%
Count 194 186 4.21%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.07 0.00%

The history of the last name Wollersheim

The surname Wollersheim is of German origin, with its roots traceable to the regions of Rhineland and Westphalia. The surname is considered to be locational, deriving from a place name, indicating that original bearers of the name hailed from a particular town or village named Wollersheim. The place name Wollersheim can be attributed to the German words "Wolle," meaning wool, and "Heim," meaning home or settlement. This implies a connection to a community known for wool production or trade.

Historical records first document the name Wollersheim in medieval Germany. References to the name appear in various feudal records, indicating land ownership and local governance. One of the earliest mentions is found in a charter dating back to the 13th century, which records a land grant to a Heinrich von Wollersheim, a local lord who lived around that period. This earliest recorded example underscores the surname's noble associations and the prominence of its bearers within local society.

Place names such as Wollersheim exist in Germany, with one notable example being a village in the Düren district of North Rhine-Westphalia. These settlements would have been the origin points for the surname, given to people who moved away from their hometowns and were subsequently identified by their place of origin.

Through the centuries, the Wollersheim name has been borne by several notable figures. Johann Wollersheim, born in 1501 in Cologne and a prominent merchant, is documented in trade records of the early 16th century. A later figure, Friedrich Wollersheim, born in 1625, was known for his contributions to early scientific studies in the fields of botany and chemistry.

In the 18th century, Auguste Wollersheim, born in 1742, emerged as a significant cultural figure in Prussian society, renowned for his patronage of the arts and his extensive art collection, which included works by contemporary European painters. By the 19th century, the name continued to retain its association with learned and prominent individuals, such as Hermann Wollersheim, an industrialist who played a key role in the burgeoning coal and steel industries of the Ruhr region.

The 20th century saw individuals like Otto Wollersheim, born in 1885, who made his mark as a pioneering aeronautical engineer in early German aviation history. His innovative work on aircraft design contributed to significant advancements in the field during the interwar period.

In each era, the surname Wollersheim has been associated with individuals who have made notable impacts in their respective fields, reflecting the name's storied history and the enduring legacy of those who have carried it. This comprehensive historical account underscores the deep roots and broad influence of the Wollersheim name through time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wollersheim

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

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 Wollersheim was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.42% 189
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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 Wollersheim has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.42% 97.31% 0.11%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

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 Wollersheim was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Wollersheim last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 20, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wollersheim-surname-popularity/.

"Wollersheim last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wollersheim-surname-popularity/. Accessed 20 June, 2025

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

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