2000
#5,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Weiland
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Weiland, derived from Middle High German "wîlant" meaning "once".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,822 Americans carry the last name Weiland. That puts it at #5,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weiland 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
6.8K
1 in 50,243
Census rank
#5,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,949 bearers of the surname Weiland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weiland
The surname Weiland has its roots in Germany, originating as early as the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wī," meaning "meadow," and "land," signifying "land" or "territory." This combination suggests that the name initially referred to individuals residing in or near meadowlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to 1191. The name appeared as "Wīlant," an early spelling variation.
In the 13th century, the name Weiland was associated with a notable figure, Johann Weiland, a prominent scholar and theologian born in Mainz, Germany, around 1220. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of canon law and served as a professor at the University of Paris.
Another historical reference can be traced to the 14th century, where a record from 1375 mentions a Konrad Weiland, a landowner in the Rhineland region of Germany. This suggests that the name had gained recognition among the landed gentry during that period.
As the surname spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and variations. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name was sometimes rendered as "Weilandt" or "Weijlandt," reflecting regional linguistic influences.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Weiland, a German artist and engraver born in Augsburg in 1583. His intricate copperplate engravings and etchings earned him widespread acclaim during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Weiland, a German writer and translator, made significant contributions to the literary world. Born in 1737 in Hanover, he is best known for his translations of works by Voltaire and other French authors.
The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Weiland, a German industrialist born in 1825 in Saxony. He founded the Weiland Machinery Company, which played a crucial role in the industrialization of Germany and the development of modern manufacturing processes.
Furthermore, the name Weiland has been associated with several place names throughout Germany, such as Weilandsmühle, a small town in Bavaria, and Weilandsee, a lake located in the state of Brandenburg.
While the surname Weiland may have evolved and taken on various forms over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the meadowlands of medieval Germany, reflecting the rich historical and cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weiland
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Weiland 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 Weiland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 5,567
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 211
- Two or more races2.0% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weiland
Weiland 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
#5,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,163
+30 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 409 places
2020
#5,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,949
-214 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,229 | 6,133 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,638 | 6,163 | 2.09 | +30 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 409 places |
| 2020 | #5,628 | 5,949 | 1.99 | -214 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 10 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 Weiland 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 | #5,638 | #5,628 | 0.2% |
| Count | 6,163 | 5,949 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.09 | 1.99 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weiland bearers went from 6,163 to 5,949 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,638 to #5,628.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weiland
FAQ
Weiland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weiland?
Name Census estimates that about 6,822 living Americans carry the surname Weiland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,243 residents.
How common is Weiland?
Weiland ranks #5,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,949 people with the surname Weiland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Weiland.
Has Weiland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weiland went from 6,163 recorded bearers to 5,949. That is a decrease of 214 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,638 to #5,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Weiland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Weiland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (5,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weiland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Weiland (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 Weiland mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Weiland, derived from Middle High German "wîlant" meaning "once". 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 Weiland (1.99 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 Weiland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.