2000
#5,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Wimmer
A German occupational surname referring to someone who measured or inspected goods, derived from the Middle High German "wimare."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,997 Americans carry the last name Wimmer. That puts it at #5,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wimmer 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
7.0K
1 in 48,986
Census rank
#5,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,102 bearers of the surname Wimmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wimmer
The surname Wimmer has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in Germany and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German word "wimmer," which means "mover" or "one who turns." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a miller or was involved in a profession that involved turning or spinning.
The name Wimmer can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with some of the earliest recorded instances found in medieval German documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a "Chunrat Wimmer" in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Nuremberg.
During the 15th century, the name Wimmer appeared in various German-speaking regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, there are records of a "Hans Wimmer" who lived in the late 1400s and was a prominent citizen.
As people began to migrate and settle in different parts of Europe, the name Wimmer spread to other areas. In the 16th century, there were Wimmers recorded in Switzerland and Austria, indicating the family's expansion beyond Germany's borders.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Wimmer include:
1. Johann Wimmer (1679-1744), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Bavaria.
2. Maria Anna Wimmer (1758-1828), an Austrian midwife and author who wrote a influential book on midwifery practices.
3. Friedrich Wimmer (1803-1868), a German philologist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Old Norse and Germanic languages.
4. Joseph Wimmer (1828-1892), an Austrian architect and church builder known for his work on numerous churches and cathedrals in Austria and Germany.
5. Otto Wimmer (1889-1965), a German painter and artist associated with the Expressionist movement, known for his vibrant landscapes and cityscapes.
Throughout its history, the surname Wimmer has undergone various spellings and regional variations, such as Wimer, Wimär, and Wimmert, reflecting the influences of local dialects and language changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wimmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wimmer 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 Wimmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 5,611
- Two or more races3.7% · 226
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wimmer
Wimmer 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
#5,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,334
+88 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#5,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,102
-232 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,154 | 6,246 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,493 | 6,334 | 2.15 | +88 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #5,501 | 6,102 | 2.04 | -232 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 8 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 Wimmer 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 | #5,493 | #5,501 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,334 | 6,102 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.04 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wimmer bearers went from 6,334 to 6,102 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,493 to #5,501.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wimmer
FAQ
Wimmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wimmer?
Name Census estimates that about 6,997 living Americans carry the surname Wimmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,986 residents.
How common is Wimmer?
Wimmer ranks #5,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 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 6,102 people with the surname Wimmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 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 Wimmer.
Has Wimmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wimmer went from 6,334 recorded bearers to 6,102. That is a decrease of 232 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,493 to #5,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Wimmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (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 Wimmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (5,611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wimmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (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 Wimmer (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 Wimmer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who measured or inspected goods, derived from the Middle High German "wimare." 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 Wimmer (2.04 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 Wimmer?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wimmer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.