2000
#9,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Mauer
A German occupational surname referring to a brick mason or wall builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,574 Americans carry the last name Mauer. That puts it at #9,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mauer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,902
Census rank
#9,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,117 bearers of the surname Mauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mauer
The surname Mauer has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Mauer," which translates to "wall" or "rampart." This name is believed to have been initially given as a descriptive surname to individuals who lived near a town wall or worked as builders or masons constructing walls and fortifications.
In the early Middle Ages, when surnames were first adopted, they often referred to a person's occupation, location, or a distinguishing physical characteristic. The name Mauer likely emerged as a way to identify someone closely associated with walls, either as a resident near a town's defensive walls or as a skilled craftsman involved in their construction or maintenance.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mauer can be found in medieval German documents and records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae and the Annales Fuldenses, dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. These ancient manuscripts mention individuals bearing variations of the name, including Maurarius, Murator, and Murerarius, all derived from the Latin word "murarius," meaning "mason" or "wall-builder."
One notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Mauer, a prominent stonemason and architect who lived in the 14th century. He is credited with the construction of several churches and castles in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony, including the renowned Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, built between 1313 and 1318.
In the 15th century, the name Mauer appeared in the Bräutigamsbücher, a collection of records documenting marriages in the city of Leipzig, Germany. One entry from 1467 mentions a Hans Mauer, a tradesman who resided within the city walls.
Another notable figure with the surname Mauer was Johann Christoph Mauer, a German artist and engraver from the 18th century. Born in 1733 in Nuremberg, he gained recognition for his intricate copperplate engravings and etchings, many of which depicted architectural subjects, including city walls and fortifications.
During the 19th century, the Mauer surname was associated with several individuals who made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Georg Ludwig von Mauer (1789-1857) was a Prussian military officer and statesman who served as the Minister of War from 1847 to 1848.
Throughout its history, the surname Mauer has been closely linked to the concept of walls and fortifications, reflecting the occupations and geographical associations of its earliest bearers. While the name has spread far beyond its German origins, its etymology remains rooted in the medieval era, offering a glimpse into the lives and trades of those who first carried this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mauer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,845
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 124
- Two or more races3.1% · 97
- Black or African American0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mauer
Mauer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,292
+123 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 420 places
2020
#9,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,117
-175 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,414 | 3,169 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,834 | 3,292 | 1.12 | +123 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 420 places |
| 2020 | #9,888 | 3,117 | 1.04 | -175 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 54 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mauer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,834 | #9,888 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,292 | 3,117 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.04 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mauer bearers went from 3,292 to 3,117 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,834 to #9,888.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mauer
FAQ
Mauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mauer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,574 living Americans carry the surname Mauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,902 residents.
How common is Mauer?
Mauer ranks #9,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,117 people with the surname Mauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mauer.
Has Mauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mauer went from 3,292 recorded bearers to 3,117. That is a decrease of 175 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,834 to #9,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Mauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mauer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mauer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a brick mason or wall builder. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mauer (1.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Mauer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.