Wysong last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Wysong

Derived from the Old English words "wisse" and "hanga," referring to someone who lived near a bent or crooked wood.

Wysong, 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 Wysong surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wysong in America

Wysong is the 14279th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wysong surname appeared 2,097 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wysong.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wysong 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 14279 13473 5.81%
Count 2,097 2,071 1.25%
Proportion per 100k 0.71 0.77 -8.11%

The history of the last name Wysong

The surname Wysong has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River valley. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "wies" meaning "meadow" and "ung" meaning "place," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have lived in or near a meadow or grassy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a German parish register from the year 1537, where a man named Hans Wysong was listed as a resident of a small village near the city of Mainz. This early mention provides evidence that the name was already established in the region by the mid-16th century.

In the 17th century, the Wysong surname began to spread beyond the borders of Germany, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of Europe and, eventually, to the American colonies. One notable individual from this period was Johann Wysong, a German immigrant who settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch region of what is now the United States in the late 1600s.

As the Wysong name continued to disperse in the 18th and 19th centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, including Weissung, Weisong, and Weisung. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the local dialects and languages of the areas where the name's bearers settled.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Wysong. One example is Christian Wysong (1701-1778), a German-born farmer and landowner who became one of the earliest settlers in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Another is Daniel Wysong (1771-1846), an American soldier who fought in the War of 1812 and later served as a member of the Ohio State Legislature.

In the 19th century, the Wysong name gained prominence in the field of education. William Wysong (1818-1895) was a prominent educator and author who served as the president of several colleges and universities in the United States, including the University of Kansas and Bethany College in West Virginia. His son, Walter Wysong (1855-1926), followed in his footsteps and became a respected educator and administrator, serving as the president of Vincennes University in Indiana.

Another notable Wysong was Henry Wysong (1848-1923), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Wysong Wheel Company in Ohio, which manufactured steel wheels for railway cars and other vehicles. The company played a significant role in the industrial development of the region and employed hundreds of workers at its peak.

These examples illustrate the diversity of backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have borne the Wysong surname throughout history, from early settlers and farmers to educators, politicians, and industrialists. While the name's origins can be traced back to Germany, its legacy has been shaped by the contributions of its bearers across various fields and regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wysong

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

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 Wysong was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.61% 1,963
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.43% 30
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.67% 35
Hispanic Origin 2.58% 54

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.61% 94.74% -1.20%
Black 1.43% 1.74% -19.56%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.67% 1.40% 17.59%
Hispanic 2.58% 1.35% 62.60%

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

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

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"Wysong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wysong-surname-popularity/.

"Wysong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wysong-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

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

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