2000
#26,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 866
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Very Rare Last name
Uher
A surname derived from the Hungarian topographic name meaning one who lived near a whirlpool or eddy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 960 Americans carry the last name Uher. That puts it at #29,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 357,036 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uher 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
960
1 in 357,036
Census rank
#29,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
837
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 837 bearers of the surname Uher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uher
The surname Uher is of Czech origin, originating in the central European region of Bohemia, modern-day Czech Republic, during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old Czech word "uher," which means "Hungarian," suggesting a connection to either Hungarian ancestry or a place of residence near the Hungarian border.
In the 13th century, the name Uher appeared in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, such as land records and tax rolls. One notable early reference was found in the Libri Erectionum, a collection of documents related to the establishment of Catholic parishes in Bohemia, where a certain "Petrus Uher" was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Velké Popovice in 1365.
The earliest recorded instance of the Uher surname can be traced back to a man named Jan Uher, born around 1420 in the town of Slaný, near Prague. He was a merchant and landowner who played a role in the Hussite Wars, a series of religious conflicts that engulfed Bohemia in the early 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several prominent individuals bore the Uher surname. One notable example was Václav Uher (1552-1621), a Czech composer and music theorist who served as the court kapellmeister (music director) to Emperor Rudolf II in Prague.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jakub Uher (1638-1702), a Czech Jesuit priest and scientist who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. He worked at the Klementinum observatory in Prague and published several works on celestial observations and calculations.
In the 19th century, the Uher surname gained further recognition with the birth of Jan Evangelista Uher (1827-1902), a Czech sculptor and woodcarver. He was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings, many of which adorned churches and public buildings throughout Bohemia and Moravia.
The name Uher has also been associated with various place names in the Czech Republic, such as the village of Uhersko, which likely derives its name from the presence of Hungarian settlers or its proximity to the Hungarian border in the past.
While the Uher surname is primarily concentrated in the Czech Republic, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uher
Among Census respondents with the surname Uher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Uher 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 Uher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 792
- Two or more races2.5% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uher
Uher 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
#27,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 862
-4 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
2020
#29,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 837
-25 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,493 | 866 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,845 | 862 | 0.29 | -4 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,352 places |
| 2020 | #29,976 | 837 | 0.28 | -25 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 2,131 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 Uher 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 | #27,845 | #29,976 | -7.7% |
| Count | 862 | 837 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.28 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uher bearers went from 862 to 837 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 2,131 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,845 to #29,976.
FAQ
Uher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uher?
Name Census estimates that about 960 living Americans carry the surname Uher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 357,036 residents.
How common is Uher?
Uher ranks #29,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 837 people with the surname Uher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Uher.
Has Uher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uher went from 862 recorded bearers to 837. That is a decrease of 25 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,845 to #29,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Uher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Uher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Uher (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 Uher mean?
A surname derived from the Hungarian topographic name meaning one who lived near a whirlpool or eddy. 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 Uher (0.28 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 Uher?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.