2000
#2,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,091
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.85
Uncommon Last name
Troyer
A Swiss German occupational surname referring to a mercenary soldier or one who contributed military service.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,162 Americans carry the last name Troyer. That puts it at #1,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Troyer 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
22K
1 in 15,466
Census rank
#1,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,326 bearers of the surname Troyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Troyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Troyer
The surname Troyer has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and the Rhineland areas of Germany. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Tröger," which means a carrier or someone who transports goods.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a reference to a "Conradus Troger" was found in a document from the city of Basel, Switzerland, in the year 1272. This suggests that the name may have originated in the region and later spread to other parts of Europe.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Troyers migrated from Switzerland and Germany to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. Some also made their way to the British Isles, where variations of the name, such as Tryer and Troir, can be found in historical records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Troyer was Johann Troyer, a Swiss banker and merchant who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Zurich and played a significant role in the city's economic affairs.
In the 17th century, a family of Troyers settled in the Palatinate region of Germany, where they became prominent landowners and farmers. One notable member of this family was Hans Troyer, who was born in 1635 and served as a local magistrate and community leader.
Another famous bearer of the name was Jacob Troyer, a Swiss-born artist who lived from 1688 to 1753. He was known for his detailed landscape paintings and was a member of the Baroque painters' guild in Zurich.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Troyers emigrated from Europe to the United States and Canada, particularly to areas with strong German and Swiss communities, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario.
One of the earliest recorded Troyers in North America was Christian Troyer, who was born in Germany in 1725 and settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He and his family were among the first Amish settlers in the region.
Another notable Troyer was John Troyer, an American farmer and businessman who lived from 1813 to 1893. He was a prominent figure in the Amish community of Holmes County, Ohio, and played a key role in the development of the area's agricultural industry.
Overall, the surname Troyer has a rich history that spans multiple countries and centuries, and it continues to be a prominent name in various parts of the world, particularly in areas with strong German and Swiss cultural influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Troyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Troyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Troyer 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 Troyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 18,756
- Two or more races1.3% · 242
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 200
- Black or African American0.3% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Troyer
Troyer 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
#2,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,981
+3,890 bearers (+29.7%)
Per 100,000 5.76
Rank movement Up 404 places
2020
#1,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,326
+2,345 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 6.47
Rank movement Up 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,536 | 13,091 | 4.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,132 | 16,981 | 5.76 | +3,890 bearers (+29.7%) | Up 404 places |
| 2020 | #1,820 | 19,326 | 6.47 | +2,345 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 312 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 Troyer 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 | #2,132 | #1,820 | 14.6% |
| Count | 16,981 | 19,326 | 13.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.76 | 6.47 | 12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Troyer bearers went from 16,981 to 19,326 (+13.8% change). The surname moved up 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,132 to #1,820.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Troyer
FAQ
Troyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Troyer?
Name Census estimates that about 22,162 living Americans carry the surname Troyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,466 residents.
How common is Troyer?
Troyer ranks #1,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,326 people with the surname Troyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Troyer.
Has Troyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Troyer went from 16,981 recorded bearers to 19,326. That is an increase of 2,345 (+13.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,132 to #1,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Troyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Troyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Troyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (18,756 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Troyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (1.3%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Troyer (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 Troyer mean?
A Swiss German occupational surname referring to a mercenary soldier or one who contributed military service. 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 Troyer (6.47 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 last name Troyer?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Troyer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.