How common is the surname Wise?

68,649 people in the United States had the surname Wise in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 4,497 Americans. It ranked 485th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Wise?

Robert Wise, American film director, film producer and film editor (1914–2005), followed by Ray Wise.

Where is the surname Wise most common?

Wikidata records people named Wise in the United States.

Is the surname Wise getting more or less common?

More common. 66,738 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 68,649 in 2010, up 2.9%.

The surname Wise

A surname, carried by 68,649 people in the United States.

Pronounced /waɪz/ 1 syllable Soundex W200

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wise is more common than 99.7% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 68,649 people named Wise in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 4,497 Americans. That is up 2.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 66,738.

#485

rank among US surnames

68,649

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.9%

change since 2000 (was #445)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#476	Saunders	69,943	4,414
#478	Rowe	69,879	4,418
#479	Gallagher	69,834	4,421
#480	Farmer	69,617	4,435
#481	Hammond	69,515	4,441
#482	Hampton	69,472	4,444
#483	Townsend	69,360	4,451

Who is named Wise

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

79% of people named Wise identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 79%
Black (not Hispanic) 16%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Wises

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Robert Wise
American film director, film producer and film editor (1914–2005)
Ray Wise
American actor, born 1947
David Wise
American freestyle skier, born 1990
Isaac Mayer Wise
American rabbi, editor and author (1819–1900)
Stephen Samuel Wise
American rabbi (1874–1949)
Kirk Wise
American film director, born 1963
Bob Wise
American politician (born 1948)
DeWanda Wise
American actress, born 1984
Willie Wise
American basketball player, born 1947
Brownie Wise
American businesswoman (1913–1992)
Jim Wise
American actor, born 1964
John Wise
American pioneer in the field of ballooning (1808-1879)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Wise

Wise has the Soundex code W200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W200.

Questions

How common is the surname Wise?: 68,649 people in the United States had the surname Wise in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 4,497 Americans. It ranked 485th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Wise?: In the 2010 Census, 79% of people named Wise identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Wise?: Robert Wise, American film director, film producer and film editor (1914–2005), followed by Ray Wise.
Where is the surname Wise most common?: Wikidata records people named Wise in the United States.
How do you pronounce Wise?: Wise is /waɪz/, one syllable.
Is the surname Wise getting more or less common?: More common. 66,738 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 68,649 in 2010, up 2.9%.