2000
#163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 55.48
Common Last name
Meyer
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or high-ranking official.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 168,679 Americans carry the last name Meyer. That puts it at #183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 49.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meyer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Meyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
169K
1 in 2,032
Census rank
#183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
49.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 147,096 bearers of the surname Meyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 49.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meyer
The surname Meyer has its origins in Germany and is derived from the German word "Meier," which means a bailiff or a steward. The name first appeared in the 12th century in the area of Saxony, where the Meiers were landowners and officials responsible for managing agricultural estates.
In the Middle Ages, the Meyer surname was commonly associated with individuals who held positions of authority in the rural areas of Germany. The name can be found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which dates back to the 13th century and contains references to individuals with the surname Meyer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meyer is in the Annales Saxonici Fuldenses, a chronicle from the 9th century, which mentions a certain "Meiarius" who served as a royal steward. This suggests that the name's origins may extend even further back in time.
In the 14th century, the Meyer surname appeared in the Stadtbuch von Quedlinburg, a medieval municipal record from the city of Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt. This document contains several entries related to individuals with the surname Meyer, indicating their presence in the region during that period.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Meyer include Johann Meyer (1450-1510), a German theologian and reformer who supported Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation; Friedrich Meyer (1824-1898), a Swiss botanist and poet; Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898), a Swiss poet and writer known for his historical novels; and Albert Meyer (1870-1953), a Swiss artist and painter renowned for his landscapes and portraits.
Another prominent individual with the Meyer surname was Eduard Meyer (1855-1930), a German historian and Egyptologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient history. He is particularly known for his work on the history of the ancient Near East and his comprehensive Geschichte des Altertums (History of Antiquity).
The Meyer surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Meyern, Meyerstadt, and Meyersdorf, reflecting the widespread presence of individuals with this surname in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Meyer 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 Meyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 135,177
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,918
- Two or more races3.1% · 4,493
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,206
- Black or African American0.6% · 871
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 431
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meyer
Meyer 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
#183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150,895
+1,231 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 51.15
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,096
-3,799 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 49.21
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #163 | 149,664 | 55.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #183 | 150,895 | 51.15 | +1,231 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #183 | 147,096 | 49.21 | -3,799 bearers (-2.5%) | No rank change |
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 Meyer 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 | #183 | #183 | 0.0% |
| Count | 150,895 | 147,096 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 51.15 | 49.21 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meyer bearers went from 150,895 to 147,096 (-2.5% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #183.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Meyer
FAQ
Meyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meyer?
Name Census estimates that about 168,679 living Americans carry the surname Meyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,032 residents.
How common is Meyer?
Meyer ranks #183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 49.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 147,096 people with the surname Meyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (168,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 49.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 49.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Meyer.
Has Meyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meyer went from 150,895 recorded bearers to 147,096. That is a decrease of 3,799 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it stayed at #183.
What does the Census say about the background of Meyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) 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 Meyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (135,177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), 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 Meyer (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 Meyer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or high-ranking official. 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 Meyer (49.21 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 Meyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.