Find out how popular the last name Beier is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beier.

Beier, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beier in America

Beier is the 11984th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beier surname appeared 2,606 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Beier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beier to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Beier

The surname BEIER originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "bier", meaning "beer", and was likely an occupational name for a beer brewer or tavern keeper. The name may also have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who enjoyed beer or had a ruddy complexion associated with drinking beer.

The earliest recorded instances of the name BEIER can be found in various medieval German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Beier, a beer brewer from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a guild register from 1412.

In the 15th century, the name BEIER appeared in the town records of Augsburg, where a family of that name owned a brewery and tavern. Johannes Beier, born in 1482, was a prominent member of this family and served as a city councilor in Augsburg.

During the 16th century, the BEIER surname spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Christoph Beier, a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig, was born in 1525 and made significant contributions to the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the BEIER name gained prominence in the arts and sciences. Johann Beier, born in 1625, was a renowned German painter known for his portraits and religious scenes. His contemporary, Georg Beier, born in 1638, was a mathematician and astronomer who made important observations of lunar eclipses.

The 18th century saw the emergence of a notable BEIER family in the field of medicine. Johann Gottfried Beier, born in 1705, was a German physician and author of several influential medical treatises. His son, Johann Christian Beier, born in 1739, followed in his footsteps and became a respected surgeon and anatomist.

As the BEIER surname spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Beyer, Bayer, and Bier, reflecting regional linguistic differences and local dialects. Despite these variations, the name's roots can be traced back to its German origins and association with the beer brewing industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beier

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beier.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beier was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beier has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beier, please contact us.

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