2000
#11,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Beier
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a beer brewer or ale maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,012 Americans carry the last name Beier. That puts it at #11,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beier 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
3.0K
1 in 113,796
Census rank
#11,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,627 bearers of the surname Beier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beier
Among Census respondents with the surname Beier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Beier 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 Beier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,428
- Two or more races3.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beier
Beier 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
#11,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,606
-25 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 901 places
2020
#11,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,627
+21 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,083 | 2,631 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,984 | 2,606 | 0.88 | -25 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 901 places |
| 2020 | #11,470 | 2,627 | 0.88 | +21 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 514 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 Beier 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 | #11,984 | #11,470 | 4.3% |
| Count | 2,606 | 2,627 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.88 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beier bearers went from 2,606 to 2,627 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 514 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,984 to #11,470.
FAQ
Beier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beier?
Name Census estimates that about 3,012 living Americans carry the surname Beier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,796 residents.
How common is Beier?
Beier ranks #11,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,627 people with the surname Beier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,012), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Beier.
Has Beier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beier went from 2,606 recorded bearers to 2,627. That is an increase of 21 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,984 to #11,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Beier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Beier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Beier (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 Beier mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a beer brewer or ale maker. 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 Beier (0.88 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 are called Beier?
Find out how many people have the last name Beier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.