The Wheeler surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 125,058 people carried this name — #243 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,360 people counted. That is up 3% from 121,684 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Wheeler surname
An English surname, derived from the trade of wheeler.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wheeler» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 14 births for the Wheeler name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 124 people named Wheeler live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
58 people named Wheeler live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 57 people named Wheeler.
26 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
63 people named Wheeler are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Wheeler in American newspapers,
1907–1928.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,111,121 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Wheeler,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Wheeler d. 1611 · politician
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William Wheeler d. 1708 · politician
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Thomas Wheeler d. 1574 · politician
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Esther W. Wheeler d. 1940 · entomologist
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Hugh Wheeler d. 1949 · priest
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Arthur P. Wheeler d. 2015 · physician
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Wheeler.
- Weydert 285 · U.S. census
- Weyer 3,004 · U.S. census
- Weyh 221 · U.S. census
- Weyl 294 · U.S. census
- Weyland 505 · U.S. census
- Weyrich 282 · U.S. census
- White 660,491 · U.S. census
- Whitehead 44,373 · U.S. census
- Wiard 544 · U.S. census
- Wiatr 308 · U.S. census
- Wichlacz 215 · U.S. census
- Wick 8,333 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Wheeler is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.