2000
#8,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Strayer
One who came from a place called Strayer or lived near a street or Roman road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,860 Americans carry the last name Strayer. That puts it at #9,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strayer 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
3.9K
1 in 88,796
Census rank
#9,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,366 bearers of the surname Strayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strayer
The surname Strayer has its origins in the Middle High German word 'streif', meaning a wanderer or vagabond. It is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of central Europe during the 13th century. The name was likely given as a descriptive term for someone who traveled frequently or had a nomadic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Strayer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named Henricus Strayer is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1289.
The surname Strayer also appears in various medieval records from the region, including the Würzburger Lehenbücher (Würzburg Feudal Records) from the 14th century. These records document individuals with the name Strayer holding land or property in the Würzburg area of modern-day Germany.
In the 15th century, the name Strayer was found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where it was spelled as 'Streyher'. This variation likely stemmed from the local dialect and pronunciation of the name.
One notable individual with the surname Strayer was Johann Strayer (1532-1605), a German theologian and Protestant reformer from Nuremberg. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and authored several influential works on theology and church doctrine.
Another individual of historical significance was Hans Strayer (1610-1678), a German goldsmith and engraver from Augsburg. His intricate and highly detailed metalwork pieces were sought after by nobles and wealthy patrons throughout Europe during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Strayer settled in the region of Alsace, which at the time was part of the Holy Roman Empire (now part of France). This branch of the Strayer family produced several notable individuals, including Johann Georg Strayer (1724-1795), a renowned clockmaker whose intricately designed timepieces were highly prized for their craftsmanship.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Strayer (1781-1865), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Berlin. He was a proponent of the idealist philosophy championed by Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
While the surname Strayer has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Strayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Strayer 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 Strayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,116
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 120
- Two or more races2.6% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strayer
Strayer 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
#8,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,636
+131 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 358 places
2020
#9,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,366
-270 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,636 | 3,505 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,994 | 3,636 | 1.23 | +131 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 358 places |
| 2020 | #9,277 | 3,366 | 1.13 | -270 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 283 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 Strayer 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 | #8,994 | #9,277 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,636 | 3,366 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.13 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strayer bearers went from 3,636 to 3,366 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 283 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,994 to #9,277.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Strayer
FAQ
Strayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strayer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,860 living Americans carry the surname Strayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,796 residents.
How common is Strayer?
Strayer ranks #9,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,366 people with the surname Strayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Strayer.
Has Strayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strayer went from 3,636 recorded bearers to 3,366. That is a decrease of 270 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,994 to #9,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Strayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Strayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Strayer (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 Strayer mean?
One who came from a place called Strayer or lived near a street or Roman road. 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 Strayer (1.13 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 have the surname Strayer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.