2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wollschleger
A German occupational surname for a wool maker or cloth shearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Wollschleger. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wollschleger 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Wollschleger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wollschleger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wollschleger
The surname Wollschleger originates from Germany, specifically the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, likely around the 15th to 16th centuries. The name is derived from two German words: "Woll" meaning wool, and "Schleger" (spelled in historical context as "Schläger") meaning striker or beater. This indicates that the original bearers of the name were likely involved in the textile industry, possibly as wool beaters or processors, an important trade in medieval Europe.
Early records of the name Wollschleger appear in local church registers and tax records. One notable historical reference is found in a monastery ledger from the year 1575 in the town of Ulm, where a Hans Wollschleger is recorded as a wool merchant who supplied the monastery with raw wool for weaving. The name also appears in the 1620 municipal records of Augsburg, where a Matthias Wollschleger is listed as a master weaver, indicating the family's ongoing association with the textile trade.
The earliest recorded example of the surname Wollschleger as it is spelled today appears in an 18th-century church register in the town of Stuttgart. The register, dated 1742, records the baptism of Johann Georg Wollschleger, born to parents Heinrich and Maria Wollschleger. This instance also marks one of the earliest migrations of the family name into urban centers from rural areas.
In the 19th century, several members of the Wollschleger family emigrated to the United States. One prominent figure was Friedrich Wollschleger, born in 1823 in Baden-Württemberg, who settled in Wisconsin in 1854. Friedrich became a notable figure in his local community, contributing to the establishment of a German cultural society and a Lutheran church.
Another significant individual with the surname was Anna Wollschleger, born in 1858 in Munich. Anna rose to prominence as a textile artist whose tapestries were exhibited in various European art shows. She passed away in 1930, leaving behind a legacy in both the art and textile industries.
The Wollschleger name further stands out with the achievements of Karl Wollschleger, born in 1881, also in Baden-Württemberg. Karl became a respected scholar in medieval German literature and published several well-regarded books on the subject before his death in 1960.
Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the surname Wollschleger continues to embody a rich history connected to the world of textiles and the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The legacy of the Wollschleger family, captured in historical records and contributions to various trades and cultures, highlights the enduring impact of their name across centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wollschleger
Among Census respondents with the surname Wollschleger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Wollschleger 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 Wollschleger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wollschleger
Wollschleger appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-13 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 10,614 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 Wollschleger 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 | #144,141 | #154,755 | -7.4% |
| Count | 115 | 102 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wollschleger bearers went from 115 to 102 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 10,614 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,755.
FAQ
Wollschleger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wollschleger?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Wollschleger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Wollschleger?
Wollschleger ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Wollschleger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wollschleger.
Has Wollschleger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wollschleger went from 115 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Wollschleger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wollschleger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Wollschleger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wollschleger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Wollschleger (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 Wollschleger mean?
A German occupational surname for a wool maker or cloth shearer. 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 Wollschleger (0.03 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 last name Wollschleger?
Find out how many people have the last name Wollschleger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.