2000
#8,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,504
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Wolters
Derived from the German word "walter," meaning a ruler or leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,936 Americans carry the last name Wolters. That puts it at #9,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolters 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
3.9K
1 in 87,082
Census rank
#9,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,432 bearers of the surname Wolters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolters, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolters
The surname Wolters is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Old German word "walt," which means "forest" or "wooded area." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived or worked in forested regions.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Walther" or "Walters," with variations such as "Wolter" and "Wolters" emerging over time. These spelling variations were common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions and regional dialects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wolters can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions a person named "Wolterus" in the year 1072.
During the 13th century, the name Wolters appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts across Germany. For instance, the Annales Rodenses, a chronicle from the Benedictine monastery in Rodenkirchen, mentions a "Wolterus de Aquis" in the year 1256.
In the 14th century, the name Wolters was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Johannes Wolters, a German theologian and author who lived from 1315 to 1380. Another was Heinrich Wolters, a merchant and landowner from Lübeck, who was mentioned in records from the 1370s.
The 15th century saw the rise of a prominent family bearing the Wolters surname in the city of Cologne. This family produced several influential individuals, including Johann Wolters, a respected lawyer and politician who served as a councilor in Cologne from 1467 to 1492.
As the name spread across Germany and neighboring regions, it also became associated with various place names. For example, the town of Woltersdorf in Brandenburg, Germany, derived its name from the Wolters family who once owned land in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wolters throughout history include:
1. Gerhard Wolters (1594-1677), a German mathematician and astronomer.
2. Johannes Wolters (1700-1773), a German writer and literary critic.
3. Christoph Wolters (1819-1901), a German architect and urban planner.
4. Rudolf Wolters (1869-1952), a German philologist and academic.
5. Juliana Wolters (1859-1925), a Dutch artist and painter.
While the surname Wolters has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchanges. However, its earliest origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the forested regions of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolters
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolters, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolters 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 Wolters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,155
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 116
- Two or more races3.0% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolters
Wolters 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
#8,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,773
+269 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#9,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,432
-341 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,640 | 3,504 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,700 | 3,773 | 1.28 | +269 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #9,138 | 3,432 | 1.15 | -341 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 438 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 Wolters 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 | #8,700 | #9,138 | -5.0% |
| Count | 3,773 | 3,432 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.15 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolters bearers went from 3,773 to 3,432 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 438 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,700 to #9,138.
FAQ
Wolters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolters?
Name Census estimates that about 3,936 living Americans carry the surname Wolters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,082 residents.
How common is Wolters?
Wolters ranks #9,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,432 people with the surname Wolters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Wolters.
Has Wolters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolters went from 3,773 recorded bearers to 3,432. That is a decrease of 341 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,700 to #9,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolters, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wolters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,155 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wolters (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 Wolters mean?
Derived from the German word "walter," meaning a ruler or leader. 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 Wolters (1.15 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 share the surname Wolters?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.