2000
#2,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.52
Uncommon Last name
Weiner
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold sausages or other meat products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,573 Americans carry the last name Weiner. That puts it at #2,763 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weiner 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 Weiner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,520
Census rank
#2,763
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,708 bearers of the surname Weiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2763rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weiner
The surname Weiner is of German origin, specifically from the region of Bavaria. It is derived from the German word "Wein," which means "wine," and likely referred to someone who was involved in the wine trade or lived in an area known for winemaking.
In the Middle Ages, surnames often arose from occupations, locations, or personal characteristics. The name Weiner likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century when surnames started becoming more common in German-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Weiner can be found in the "Nuremberg Chronicles," a historic book published in 1493. It mentions a "Hans Weiner" from the city of Nuremberg, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.
Another notable mention of the name Weiner comes from the "Augsburg Book of Citizens," which dates back to the 15th century. It lists several individuals with the surname Weiner, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of Bavaria and neighboring regions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Weiner surname appears in various records and documents across German-speaking areas, including church registers, tax records, and land deeds. This indicates that the name was well-established and prominent during this period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Weiner was Johann Weiner, born in 1520 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria. He was a respected vintner and played a prominent role in the local wine trade.
Another notable figure was Hans Weiner (1540-1612), a renowned artist and painter from Nuremberg. His works can be found in several museums and galleries across Europe, and he was highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the Weiner name gained prominence in Austria, with the birth of Philipp Weiner (1732-1798), a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace.
During the 19th century, the name Weiner spread beyond German-speaking regions as individuals emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable example is Friedrich Weiner (1810-1892), a German-born author and journalist who settled in New York City and wrote extensively about the experience of German immigrants in the United States.
Another notable figure from this period was Karl Weiner (1862-1919), a renowned Austrian-born architect who designed several iconic buildings in Prague, including the Municipal House and the Lucerna Palace.
As the Weiner surname spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Weinner, Weyner, and Weinert. However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the German word "Wein" and its association with the wine trade or winemaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Weiner 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 Weiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 11,842
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 426
- Two or more races2.1% · 264
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 111
- Black or African American0.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weiner
Weiner 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
#2,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,208
-695 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.82
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#2,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,708
-1,500 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,238 | 14,903 | 5.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,546 | 14,208 | 4.82 | -695 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #2,763 | 12,708 | 4.25 | -1,500 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 217 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 Weiner 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 | #2,546 | #2,763 | -8.5% |
| Count | 14,208 | 12,708 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.82 | 4.25 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weiner bearers went from 14,208 to 12,708 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,546 to #2,763.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Weiner
FAQ
Weiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weiner?
Name Census estimates that about 14,573 living Americans carry the surname Weiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,520 residents.
How common is Weiner?
Weiner ranks #2,763 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,708 people with the surname Weiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Weiner.
Has Weiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weiner went from 14,208 recorded bearers to 12,708. That is a decrease of 1,500 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,546 to #2,763.
What does the Census say about the background of Weiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Weiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (11,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Weiner (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 Weiner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold sausages or other meat products. 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 Weiner (4.25 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 Weiner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.