2000
#4,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Weidner
German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "weidenaere," denoting a hunter or gamekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,822 Americans carry the last name Weidner. That puts it at #4,471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weidner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weidner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,852
Census rank
#4,471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,693 bearers of the surname Weidner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weidner
The surname Weidner originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "weiden," meaning "pasture" or "meadow," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for a herdsman or someone who worked with livestock.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Weidner can be found in various medieval German records and documents. For example, a Henricus Weidener is mentioned in a document from Cologne dated 1292. Additionally, the name appears in the Urkundenbuch der Abtei St. Gallen, a collection of records from the Abbey of St. Gallen in Switzerland, dating back to the 14th century.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Weidner in the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Bavaria. One notable member was Hans Weidner (1455-1519), a prominent merchant and member of the town council.
Another early bearer of the name was Johann Weidner (1500-1572), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from Saxony. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a role in the spread of the Reformation in Germany.
In the 17th century, a Caspar Weidner (1627-1693) was a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Jena. He wrote several legal treatises and is considered an influential figure in the development of German jurisprudence.
During the 18th century, the name Weidner appeared in various parts of Germany, as well as in areas of present-day Poland and the Czech Republic, which were part of the German-speaking world at the time. One notable individual was Johann Gottlieb Weidner (1713-1795), a German architect and designer who worked in Dresden and Leipzig.
In the 19th century, the name Weidner continued to be found throughout German-speaking regions. One notable bearer was Karl Weidner (1842-1925), a German botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of the flora of South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weidner
Among Census respondents with the surname Weidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Weidner 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 Weidner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 7,163
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 231
- Two or more races2.6% · 203
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 46
- Black or African American0.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weidner
Weidner 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
#4,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,400
+361 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#4,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,693
-707 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,073 | 8,039 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,220 | 8,400 | 2.85 | +361 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #4,471 | 7,693 | 2.57 | -707 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 251 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 Weidner 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 | #4,220 | #4,471 | -5.9% |
| Count | 8,400 | 7,693 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.85 | 2.57 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weidner bearers went from 8,400 to 7,693 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,220 to #4,471.
FAQ
Weidner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weidner?
Name Census estimates that about 8,822 living Americans carry the surname Weidner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,852 residents.
How common is Weidner?
Weidner ranks #4,471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,693 people with the surname Weidner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Weidner.
Has Weidner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weidner went from 8,400 recorded bearers to 7,693. That is a decrease of 707 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,220 to #4,471.
What does the Census say about the background of Weidner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weidner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Weidner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (7,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weidner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Weidner (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 Weidner mean?
German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "weidenaere," denoting a hunter or gamekeeper. 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 Weidner (2.57 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 Weidner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.