Explore the Family Name Weist

The meaning of Weist

1. German (Silesia): probably a nickname from Middle High German wīsot, wīset ‘gift or obligatory payment (in kind) on certain holidays to a bride, church, or the overlord’. 2. German (Saxony-Anhalt): topographic name from the field name Weist, probably from Weidicht ‘property, land with willows’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Weist in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Weist showed an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 15,995 and by 2010, it climbed to 15,223 indicating a 4.83% increase. The count of people with this surname also rose from 1,667 in 2000 to 1,934 in 2010, reflecting a 16.02% surge. Moreover, the proportion per 100,000 people increased by 6.45%, from 0.62 to 0.66 over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,995	#15,223	4.83%
Count	1,667	1,934	16.02%
Proportion per 100k	0.62	0.66	6.45%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Weist

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals subtle changes in the ethnic distributions associated with the surname Weist from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as 'White' decreased slightly from 97.60% to 96.17%. Meanwhile, those identifying as 'Hispanic' saw an increase from 1.02% to 1.76%. The 'Asian/Pacific Islander' category grew significantly from 0.30% to 0.57%. There was no data available for 'Two or more races' and 'Black' in 2000, but by 2010 these groups represented 0.72% and 0.41% respectively. Lastly, the proportion of 'American Indian and Alaskan Native' declined from 0.66% to 0.36%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.6%	96.17%	-1.47%
Hispanic	1.02%	1.76%	72.55%
Two or More Races	0%	0.72%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.3%	0.57%	90%
Black	0%	0.41%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.66%	0.36%	-45.45%