2000
#58,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Wiesel
A German surname referring to a small weasel-like animal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 419 Americans carry the last name Wiesel. That puts it at #59,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 818,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiesel 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
419
1 in 818,029
Census rank
#59,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
365
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 365 bearers of the surname Wiesel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiesel
The surname Wiesel has its origins in Central Europe, predominantly within the historical regions of Germany and Austria. The etymology traces back to the Old High German word wīsal, meaning weasel, a small mammal known for its agility and cunning nature. The name may have been originally used as a nickname for a person with perceived similar qualities or perhaps someone who lived in an area where weasels were common.
The earliest documented records of the surname Wiesel appear in medieval Germanic lands. In various manuscripts and records from the 13th to the 15th centuries, variations such as Wiesel, Wisel, and Wiesl have been noted. For instance, a 14th-century Bavarian tax register documents a Heinrich Wiesel in 1374, indicating the name was already established in southern Germany by this period. Historical reference to the name can also be found in the Nuremberg chronicles of 1493, which mention a Johann Wiesel, a merchant known for frequent travels between Augsburg and Vienna.
A significant historical figure bearing the surname Wiesel is Elie Wiesel, born in 1928 and deceased in 2016, a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, and Holocaust survivor. Best known for his memoir Night, in which he recounts his experiences in Nazi concentration camps, Elie Wiesel's contributions to literature and human rights have immortalized the surname in contemporary context.
Another notable person is Friedrich Wiesel, an 18th-century German physician and naturalist who contributed significantly to the medical research community in Berlin. Born in 1702 and passing in 1776, Friedrich Wiesel's systematic studies on botany and anatomy were well regarded among his peers.
In the artistic realms, Karl Wiesel, a 19th-century Austrian composer and violinist born in 1816, made significant contributions to Viennese classical music. His compositions, although not famous on a broad scale, were well respected in academic circles and contributed to the rich musical heritage of Austria.
In the realm of academia, the 16th-century scholar Georg Wiesel from Heidelberg University made impressive advancements in the study of medieval Latin texts. Born in 1564 and dying in 1612, his work on translating and preserving ancient manuscripts is still referenced by historians today.
Finally, the surname appears in the annals of military history with Wilhelm Wiesel, a Prussian officer in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1789 and falling in battle in 1813, Wilhelm's tactical acumen and bravery were recorded in various military journals of the time.
The surname Wiesel, arising from a central European background and bearing a rich historical heritage, encapsulates a variety of professions and stories, from medieval merchants and scholars to contemporary writers and activists, illustrating the diverse paths taken by those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiesel
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiesel 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 Wiesel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 344
- Two or more races2.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiesel
Wiesel 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
#77,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
-77 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 18,867 places
2020
#59,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 365
+117 bearers (+47.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 17,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,397 | 325 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #77,264 | 248 | 0.08 | -77 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 18,867 places |
| 2020 | #59,756 | 365 | 0.12 | +117 bearers (+47.2%) | Up 17,508 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 Wiesel 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 | #77,264 | #59,756 | 22.7% |
| Count | 248 | 365 | 47.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.12 | 52.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiesel bearers went from 248 to 365 (+47.2% change). The surname moved up 17,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #77,264 to #59,756.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wiesel
FAQ
Wiesel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiesel?
Name Census estimates that about 419 living Americans carry the surname Wiesel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 818,029 residents.
How common is Wiesel?
Wiesel ranks #59,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 365 people with the surname Wiesel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wiesel.
Has Wiesel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiesel went from 248 recorded bearers to 365. That is an increase of 117 (+47.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #77,264 to #59,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiesel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Wiesel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiesel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Wiesel (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 Wiesel mean?
A German surname referring to a small weasel-like animal. 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 Wiesel (0.12 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 common is the surname Wiesel?
See how many Americans have the surname Wiesel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.