Myer
Derived from the German name Meyer, meaning a landlord or overseer.
Name Census estimates that about 492 living Americans carry the first name Myer. It is a predominantly male name (96.5% of registrations). The average person named Myer today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Myer births was 1918 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Myer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
492
~ 1 in 696,655 Americans
Peak year
1918
48 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,654
Tracked since 1893
Gender
Gender distribution for Myer
Myer leans heavily male at 96.5% of total registrations, but 38 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Myer as a male name
- Ranked #3,654 in 2024
- 31 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1918 (48 births)
Myer as a female name
- Ranked #16,874 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (9 births)
Popularity
Myer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Myer from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 331 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Myer remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Myer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Myer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Myers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Myer, while California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 56 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Myer
The given name Myer has its roots in the German language, specifically derived from the word "meier," which means a steward or a bailiff responsible for overseeing an estate or a farm. This name has its origins dating back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 15th centuries, when the feudal system was prevalent in Europe.
During this period, the name Myer was commonly used to refer to individuals who held positions of authority and responsibility in managing agricultural lands or estates owned by nobility or the church. The name gained popularity among the German-speaking population and eventually spread to other regions as well.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Myer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century, where it is mentioned in connection with various landholdings and administrative roles.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Myer. One of the most famous was Myer Prinstein (1818-1903), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the brewing industry and was instrumental in the development of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Another prominent figure was Myer Kutz (1751-1821), a German-Jewish scholar and author who wrote extensively on Jewish law and tradition, making significant contributions to the study of the Talmud.
In the world of literature, Myer Ezekiel Isaacs (1925-2012) was a South African poet and academic, renowned for his work exploring the Jewish experience in South Africa and promoting cross-cultural understanding.
Myer Fredman (1934-2020) was a British businessman and philanthropist, known for his significant charitable contributions to various causes, including education and medical research.
Lastly, Myer Horowitz (1932-2012) was a Canadian academic and administrator, serving as the president of the University of Alberta from 1979 to 1989, and making notable contributions to higher education in Canada.
These individuals, spanning different time periods and fields, exemplify the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the given name Myer, which has its origins rooted in the German language and cultural heritage.
People
Myer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Myer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Myer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Myer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 492 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Myer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 696,655 US residents.
Is Myer a common name?
We classify Myer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,085 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Myer most popular?
The single biggest year for Myer was 1918, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Myer is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Myer a male name?
Yes, 96.5% of people registered as Myer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.