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

Byer, 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 Byer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Byer in America

Byer is the 9998th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Byer surname appeared 3,224 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 Byer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Byer 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 Byer

The surname Byer originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German words "bur" or "bure," meaning a rural house or dwelling. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a small rural settlement or village.

In the medieval period, the name Byer was concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Early variations of the spelling included Bur, Bure, Byer, and Buhre. The name first appeared in official records in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1286, referring to a man named Hans Byer.

The Byer name can be found in several historical documents from the Middle Ages. One notable example is the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval Saxon charters, which mentions a landowner named Konrad Byer in 1352. Another early reference is in the Würzburg Diocesan Records of 1417, which lists a clergyman called Johann Byer.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Byer surname was Peter Byer, a merchant from Augsburg who lived from 1440 to 1509. He is mentioned in several trade records from the time and is believed to have been involved in the lucrative spice trade with Italy and the Levant.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Byer (1490-1556) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer in Saxony. He worked closely with Martin Luther and played a key role in the spread of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

Another historically significant Byer was Johann Byer (1625-1677), a German baroque composer and organist from Nuremberg. He is best known for his sacred choral works and organ compositions, which were highly influential in the development of German church music.

During the 18th century, a German family named Byer became prominent landowners and nobles in the region of Silesia (now part of Poland). The most notable member of this family was Count Friedrich von Byer (1724-1798), a Prussian statesman and military officer who served under Frederick the Great.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Byer

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

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

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

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