2000
#20,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Wohlers
A surname derived from a German occupational name for someone who lived or worked near a village or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,417 Americans carry the last name Wohlers. That puts it at #21,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 241,887 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wohlers 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
1.4K
1 in 241,887
Census rank
#21,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,236 bearers of the surname Wohlers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wohlers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wohlers
The surname Wohlers has its origins in Germany, specifically in the northern regions such as Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. This name can be traced back to the High Middle Ages, approximately the 12th to 14th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Middle Low German word "Wol," which means "wolf," combined with a suffix "-ers," indicating "son of" or "descendant of." Thus, Wohlers could be interpreted as "son of the wolf" or "descendant of the wolf."
The name Wohlers and its variants appear sporadically in old records and documents. One of the earliest known mentions dates back to the 14th century in Northern Germany, where the name appeared in local church records and land deeds. Variants of the name, such as Wohlert and Wöller, were also recorded in similar historical contexts, indicating a common root.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Wohlers. A significant figure is Johann Friedrich Wohlers, a German missionary who was born in 1811 and died in 1885. He is well-known for his work in the South Pacific, particularly in New Zealand, where he helped establish schools and spread Christianity among the Maori population.
Karl Friedrich Wohlers, born in 1788 and died in 1861, was another prominent individual. He was a revered educator and author in Germany, known for his contributions to educational reforms during the 19th century.
Another figure of historical importance is Helmut Wohlers, a German athlete born in 1926 who excelled in track and field events. His participation and achievements in national competitions during the mid-20th century brought recognition to the surname in the realm of sports.
In the sphere of politics, Heinrich Wohlers, born in 1804 and died in 1872, served as a local official in Schleswig-Holstein. His political career and advocacy for regional governance reforms were notable during a period of significant social and political change in Germany.
Lastly, Ernst Wohlers, an engineer and inventor born in 1845, made substantial contributions to industrial engineering in the latter half of the 19th century. His innovations improved mechanical processes in various industries, marking him as a significant figure in the field of applied science.
The surname Wohlers thus has deep historical roots in Northern Germany, with meanings related to ancestral and symbolic connections to the wolf. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made remarkable contributions across diverse fields such as religion, education, sports, politics, and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wohlers
Among Census respondents with the surname Wohlers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wohlers 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 Wohlers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,147
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 39
- Two or more races2.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wohlers
Wohlers 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
#20,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,286
+82 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#21,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,236
-50 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,484 | 1,204 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,601 | 1,286 | 0.44 | +82 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #21,548 | 1,236 | 0.41 | -50 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 947 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 Wohlers 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 | #20,601 | #21,548 | -4.6% |
| Count | 1,286 | 1,236 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.41 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wohlers bearers went from 1,286 to 1,236 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 947 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,601 to #21,548.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wohlers
FAQ
Wohlers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wohlers?
Name Census estimates that about 1,417 living Americans carry the surname Wohlers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 241,887 residents.
How common is Wohlers?
Wohlers ranks #21,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,236 people with the surname Wohlers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,417), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Wohlers.
Has Wohlers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wohlers went from 1,286 recorded bearers to 1,236. That is a decrease of 50 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,601 to #21,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Wohlers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wohlers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wohlers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wohlers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Wohlers (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 Wohlers mean?
A surname derived from a German occupational name for someone who lived or worked near a village or settlement. 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 Wohlers (0.41 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 Wohlers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.