How common is the surname Wisner?

4,296 people in the United States had the surname Wisner in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 71,868 Americans. It ranked 7,725th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Wisner?

Frank G. Wisner, American diplomat, politician (1938–2025), followed by Sammy Adams.

Where is the surname Wisner most common?

Wikidata records people named Wisner in the United States.

Is the surname Wisner getting more or less common?

More common. 4,105 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,296 in 2010, up 4.7%.

The surname Wisner

A surname, carried by 4,296 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex W256

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wisner is more common than 95.2% of them.

Origin

From German Wiesner, from Wiesen (“meadows”).

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 4,296 people named Wisner in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 71,868 Americans. That is up 4.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 4,105.

#7,725

rank among US surnames

4,296

people in 2010

1.5

per 100,000 Americans

+4.7%

change since 2000 (was #7,482)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#7,721	Till	4,299	71,818
#7,723	Higley	4,298	71,835
#7,724	Esser	4,297	71,851
#7,725	Wisner	4,296	71,868
#7,730	Warnick	4,295	71,885

Who is named Wisner

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

92% of people named Wisner identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.1% as Black (not Hispanic) and 1.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 92%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.8%
Two or more races 1.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Wisners

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Frank G. Wisner
American diplomat, politician (1938–2025)
Sammy Adams
American rapper, born 1987

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Whisner

Surnames that sound like Wisner

Wisner has the Soundex code W256, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W256.

Questions

Where does the surname Wisner come from?: From German Wiesner, from Wiesen (“meadows”).
How common is the surname Wisner?: 4,296 people in the United States had the surname Wisner in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 71,868 Americans. It ranked 7,725th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Wisner?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Wisner identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.1% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Wisner?: Frank G. Wisner, American diplomat, politician (1938–2025), followed by Sammy Adams.
Where is the surname Wisner most common?: Wikidata records people named Wisner in the United States.
Is the surname Wisner getting more or less common?: More common. 4,105 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,296 in 2010, up 4.7%.
What are other spellings of Wisner?: Whisner.