Explore the Family Name Willner
The meaning of Willner
1. German: habitational name for someone from any of various places, for example in Saxony, Upper Franconia, the Upper Palatinate, and Upper Austria, called Wildenau, from Old High German wildi ‘wild, uncultivated’ (with the adjective retaining the weak dative ending originally used after a preposition and article) + ouwa ‘wet land, marsh’. 2. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from Yiddish vilner, denoting a native or inhabitant of the Lithuanian city of Vilnius (Vilne in Yiddish). Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Isadore, Abbe, Aron, Avrom, Channan, Gershon, Hyman, Moshe, Naftali, Shimon, Yaakov. German Kurt, Bernhard, Dieter, Erwin, Ewald, Gerda, Hans, Heinz, Otto.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Willner in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Willner has seen a minor change over a decade. In 2000, it ranked 17,813 in popularity with a count of 1,449, representing a proportion of 0.54 per 100,000 population. By 2010, the rank had marginally increased to 17,775 with a count of 1,576, making up a slightly smaller proportion of 0.53 per 100,000. This represents a growth of 0.21 in rank and an 8.76% increase in count, despite a slight decrease by -1.85% in its proportion per 100,000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,813 | #17,775 | 0.21% |
| Count | 1,449 | 1,576 | 8.76% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.54 | 0.53 | -1.85% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Willner
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Willner has also experienced some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the majority of those bearing the surname identified as White, accounting for 96.62%, with small proportions identifying as having two or more races (1.10%), Hispanic (1.24%), and Black (0.55%). Notably, no individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native. By 2010, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased slightly to 95.88%. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased by 37.9% to reach 1.71%, and the proportion identifying with two or more races grew by 27.27% to account for 1.40%. The data did not record any individuals identifying as Black, while for the first time, a small proportion (0.51%) identified as Asian/Pacific Islander.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.62% | 95.88% | -0.77% |
| Hispanic | 1.24% | 1.71% | 37.9% |
| Two or More Races | 1.1% | 1.4% | 27.27% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.51% | 0% |
| Black | 0.55% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |