2010
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Birkmeier
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "birk" meaning "birch tree" and "meier" meaning "steward" or "farm manager."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Birkmeier. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birkmeier 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
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Birkmeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birkmeier
The surname BIRKMEIER is of German origin, tracing its roots back to medieval times. It is derived from the Old High German words "birih," meaning "birch tree," and "meier," which refers to a steward, manager, or overseer of an estate or farm. This combination suggests that the original bearer of the name was likely a steward or manager of an estate situated near or surrounded by birch trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Bavaria and Swabia, where it was often spelled as Birchmeier, Birckmeier, or Birchmaier. One notable mention is in the Weissenburger Landtafel, a medieval legal document from the 14th century, which lists a certain Hans Birkmeier as a landowner in the town of Weissenburg, Bavaria.
In the 16th century, the name Birkmeier appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, where a family of merchants and traders bearing this surname had established themselves. Notable members of this family include Johann Birkmeier (1520-1589), a successful merchant and city councilor, and his son, Andreas Birkmeier (1557-1623), who was a renowned philosopher and scholar at the University of Ingolstadt.
Another prominent figure with the surname Birkmeier was Matthias Birkmeier (1665-1733), a Bavarian Benedictine monk and historian who authored several works on the history of Bavaria and the Benedictine order. His most famous work, "Annales Monasterii S. Petri Antiq. in Schwarzach," chronicles the history of the Benedictine monastery in Schwarzach, Bavaria.
In the 19th century, the name Birkmeier gained recognition through the works of the German writer and poet, Friedrich Birkmeier (1810-1879), who was born in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria. His collection of poems, "Gedichte," published in 1852, was widely acclaimed and helped establish him as a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time.
Another notable individual bearing this surname was Karl Birkmeier (1879-1945), a German architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the design and development of modern cities in Germany during the early 20th century. Some of his most notable works include the urban planning projects in the cities of Nuremberg and Regensburg.
While the surname BIRKMEIER has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it was closely associated with the management of estates and lands surrounded by birch trees.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birkmeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Birkmeier 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 Birkmeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 138
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birkmeier
Birkmeier appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+3 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 2,280 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 Birkmeier 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 | #126,765 | #129,045 | -1.8% |
| Count | 135 | 138 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birkmeier bearers went from 135 to 138 (+2.2% change). The surname moved down 2,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #129,045.
FAQ
Birkmeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birkmeier?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Birkmeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Birkmeier?
Birkmeier ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Birkmeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Birkmeier.
Has Birkmeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birkmeier went from 135 recorded bearers to 138. That is an increase of 3 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Birkmeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Birkmeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birkmeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Birkmeier (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 Birkmeier mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the elements "birk" meaning "birch tree" and "meier" meaning "steward" or "farm manager." 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 Birkmeier (0.05 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 surname Birkmeier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.