2000
#8,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Byer
An occupational surname referring to someone who dwelled near or worked at a barn or cowshed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,304 Americans carry the last name Byer. That puts it at #10,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,739 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Byer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,739
Census rank
#10,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,881 bearers of the surname Byer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The Byer name can be found in several historical documents from the Middle Ages.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byer
Among Census respondents with the surname Byer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Byer 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 Byer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 2,368
- Black or African American10.1% · 292
- Two or more races3.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byer
Byer 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
#9,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,224
-275 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1,351 places
2020
#10,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
-343 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 613 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,647 | 3,499 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,998 | 3,224 | 1.09 | -275 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 1,351 places |
| 2020 | #10,611 | 2,881 | 0.96 | -343 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 613 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 Byer 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 | #9,998 | #10,611 | -6.1% |
| Count | 3,224 | 2,881 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.96 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byer bearers went from 3,224 to 2,881 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 613 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,998 to #10,611.
FAQ
Byer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,304 living Americans carry the surname Byer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,739 residents.
How common is Byer?
Byer ranks #10,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,881 people with the surname Byer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Byer.
Has Byer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byer went from 3,224 recorded bearers to 2,881. That is a decrease of 343 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,998 to #10,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Byer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Byer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (2,368 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Byer (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 Byer mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who dwelled near or worked at a barn or cowshed. 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 Byer (0.96 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 share the surname Byer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.