2000
#13,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Wurster
A German occupational surname referring to a sausage maker or butcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,320 Americans carry the last name Wurster. That puts it at #14,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,739 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wurster 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
2.3K
1 in 147,739
Census rank
#14,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,023 bearers of the surname Wurster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wurster
The surname Wurster has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "wurst," meaning sausage or meat product, and the suffix "-er," which denotes a person or occupation. This suggests that the name likely referred to a sausage maker or a person involved in the meat trade.
The earliest known record of the name Wurster appears in the town of Ulm, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in the year 1245. A document from that time mentions a person named Heinrich Wurster, who was a butcher by trade. This provides evidence that the name was already in use and associated with the meat industry during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name Wurster appeared in various regions of Germany, including the cities of Augsburg and Nuremberg. One notable individual from this period was Hans Wurster, a renowned sausage maker from Nuremberg, who lived from 1320 to 1385. His products were highly regarded and helped establish the city's reputation for quality sausages.
As the name spread across Germany, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Wuerster, Wurstner, and Wurstmeister. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the specific occupation of the individual bearing the name.
In the 16th century, the name Wurster gained prominence in the principality of Baden, where several members of the family held positions of importance. One notable figure was Johann Wurster (1520-1588), who served as the mayor of the town of Baden-Baden.
As the Wurster family continued to expand and spread throughout Europe, some members immigrated to other countries, including the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Johann Wurster, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 from Germany.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wurster include:
1. Karl Wurster (1808-1894), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament.
2. Johann Baptist Wurster (1898-1972), a German sculptor and artist known for his religious works.
3. Richard Wurster (1901-1984), an American architect and urban planner who helped shape the field of urban design.
4. Curt Wurster (1905-1986), a German chemist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of colloid science.
5. Ingeborg Wurster (1935-2003), a German writer and poet known for her works exploring themes of identity and self-discovery.
The surname Wurster has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it was likely associated with the meat trade and sausage making. Over the centuries, it has spread across Europe and beyond, with various spellings and variations reflecting regional influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wurster
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wurster 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 Wurster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,892
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 63
- Two or more races2.3% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wurster
Wurster 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
#13,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,154
+19 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 863 places
2020
#14,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,023
-131 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,128 | 2,135 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,991 | 2,154 | 0.73 | +19 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 863 places |
| 2020 | #14,247 | 2,023 | 0.68 | -131 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 256 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 Wurster 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 | #13,991 | #14,247 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,154 | 2,023 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.68 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wurster bearers went from 2,154 to 2,023 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,991 to #14,247.
FAQ
Wurster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wurster?
Name Census estimates that about 2,320 living Americans carry the surname Wurster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,739 residents.
How common is Wurster?
Wurster ranks #14,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,023 people with the surname Wurster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Wurster.
Has Wurster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wurster went from 2,154 recorded bearers to 2,023. That is a decrease of 131 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,991 to #14,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Wurster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wurster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,892 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wurster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wurster (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 Wurster mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sausage maker or butcher. 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 Wurster (0.68 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 Wurster?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.