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

Blyer, 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 Blyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blyer in America

Blyer is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blyer surname appeared 104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Blyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blyer 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 Blyer

The surname Blyer is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions of the country during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "blauen," which means "to blow," referring to a person who played a wind instrument or someone involved in metalworking, where bellows were used to stoke the fires.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bairischer Kodex, a 14th-century manuscript from Bavaria, which mentions a "Heinricus Blyer" in the year 1322. This suggests that the name had already established itself in southern Germany by that time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Cologne, such as the birth record of "Johannes Blyer" in 1547. The spelling variations "Blier" and "Blüer" are also found in documents from this period, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Blyer include Hans Blyer (1480-1535), a German painter and woodcarver known for his intricate altarpieces and religious works commissioned by churches in Saxony. Another prominent figure was Johann Blyer (1625-1688), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg.

In the 17th century, the name Blyer appears in records from the town of Bleidenstadt in Hesse, possibly indicating a connection to that location. One example is the marriage record of "Matthias Blyer" and "Anna Maria Lüdemann" in 1662.

Moving into the 18th century, we find records of the Blyer family in the Palatinate region of Germany. For instance, the birth of "Johannes Blyer" is recorded in the town of Kirchheimbolanden in 1712. This region saw significant emigration to the American colonies in the 18th century, likely contributing to the spread of the Blyer name across the Atlantic.

Other notable individuals with the surname Blyer include Wilhelm Blyer (1795-1856), a German philosopher and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Ernst Blyer (1823-1889), a German botanist and author of several works on the flora of central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blyer

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

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 Blyer 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 Blyer 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 Blyer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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