How common is the surname Wheeler?

125,058 people in the United States had the surname Wheeler in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,469 Americans. It ranked 243rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Wheeler?

John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist (1911-2008), followed by Mortimer Wheeler.

Where is the surname Wheeler most common?

Wikidata records people named Wheeler in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

How do you pronounce Wheeler?

Wheeler is /ˈ(h)wiː.lə(ɹ)/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Wheeler getting more or less common?

More common. 121,684 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 125,058 in 2010, up 2.8%.

The surname Wheeler

A surname, carried by 125,058 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈ(h)wiː.lə(ɹ)/ 2 syllables Soundex W460

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wheeler is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

An English surname, derived from the trade of wheeler.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 125,058 people named Wheeler in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,469 Americans. That is up 2.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 121,684.

#243

rank among US surnames

125,058

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.8%

change since 2000 (was #223)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#234	Guerrero	128,677	2,399
#235	George	128,625	2,400
#236	Chapman	127,939	2,413
#237	Rios	127,794	2,416
#238	Estrada	127,470	2,422
#239	Ortega	127,256	2,426
#240	Watkins	127,083	2,429

Who is named Wheeler

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

81% of people named Wheeler identified as white (not Hispanic), 13% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Wheelers

29 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

John Archibald Wheeler
American physicist (1911-2008)
Mortimer Wheeler
British archaeologist (1890-1976)
Maggie Wheeler
American actress, born 1961
Blake Wheeler
American ice hockey player, born 1986
Andrew R. Wheeler
15th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, born 1964
Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler
American mathematician (1883–1966)
Adam Wheeler
American sport wrestler, born 1981
Burton K. Wheeler
American politician and lawyer (1882–1975)
Michael Wheeler
British athlete (1935–2020)
Laura Wheeler Waring
African American painter (1887-1948)
Candace Wheeler
American interior designer (1827–1923)
Lyle R. Wheeler
American art director (1905–1990)

Notable Wheelers come mostly from the United States (24), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Whaler
Wiler

Wheeler has the Soundex code W460, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W460.

Questions

How common is the surname Wheeler?: 125,058 people in the United States had the surname Wheeler in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,469 Americans. It ranked 243rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Wheeler?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Wheeler identified as white (not Hispanic), and 13% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Wheeler?: John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist (1911-2008), followed by Mortimer Wheeler.
Where is the surname Wheeler most common?: Wikidata records people named Wheeler in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Wheeler?: Wheeler is /ˈ(h)wiː.lə(ɹ)/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Wheeler getting more or less common?: More common. 121,684 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 125,058 in 2010, up 2.8%.
What are other spellings of Wheeler?: Whaler and Wiler.