2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wordekemper
A surname deriving from a location or place name referring to a village or area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Wordekemper. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wordekemper 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Wordekemper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wordekemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wordekemper
The surname Wordekemper has its origins in Germany, specifically from the northern regions. The name is believed to have emerged around the 15th or 16th century. It is derived from the Low German dialect, particularly prevalent in regions such as Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The components of the name can be broken down into the elements "Wörde" and "Kemper." "Wörde" is an old term that is connected to the word "Worth," meaning an enclosed or protected area, often relating to farms or homesteads. "Kemper" is derived from the German word "Kamp," which means "field" or "enclosure," usually indicating someone who works or lives near such a place.
Historical references to the name can be traced back to documents such as local registers and manorial rolls. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wordekemper appears in the Westphalian records from the early 17th century. A notable entry is that of Hans Wordekemper, a farmer listed in the agricultural register of Münster in 1603. This document sheds light on the prevalence of the surname in rural communities where agriculture was the dominant form of livelihood.
Another historical figure is Johann Wordekemper, documented as a resident and small landowner in Osnabrück in the year 1657. Being mentioned in the municipal records of the city highlights the integration of the Wordekemper family into urban settings as well. By the 18th century, the name spread throughout other parts of Germany, as industrialization encouraged migration towards cities.
In the academic circles of the late 19th century, Heinrich Wordekemper, born in 1852 and died in 1911, became a well-known historian specializing in the study of medieval Germanic tribes. His works are still referenced in contemporary historical research. Another prominent individual was Wilhelm Wordekemper, an engineer born in 1885, who contributed to the development of early railway systems in Germany.
During the 20th century, the surname saw a decline in its traditional agricultural connections as families like the Wordekempers moved towards urban professions. One notable 20th-century figure was Klara Wordekemper, a noted social activist born in 1920 in Bremen, who played a critical role in post-World War II reconstruction efforts in her community, passing away in 1985.
Throughout the centuries, the Wordekemper surname evolved slightly in spelling and pronunciation but maintained strong ties to its etymological roots. It serves as a testament to the agricultural and rural history of the regions it originates from, representing families who were integral to the development of those communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wordekemper
Among Census respondents with the surname Wordekemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wordekemper 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 Wordekemper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wordekemper
Wordekemper 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,606 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,606 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Wordekemper 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 | #148,347 | #149,446 | -0.7% |
| Count | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wordekemper bearers went from 111 to 110 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #149,446.
FAQ
Wordekemper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wordekemper?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Wordekemper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Wordekemper?
Wordekemper ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Wordekemper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Wordekemper.
Has Wordekemper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wordekemper went from 111 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Wordekemper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wordekemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wordekemper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wordekemper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wordekemper (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 Wordekemper mean?
A surname deriving from a location or place name referring to a village or area. 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 Wordekemper (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 last name Wordekemper?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Wordekemper, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.