2000
#5,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Byerly
Derived from a place name meaning "by the lea" or "by the meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,136 Americans carry the last name Byerly. That puts it at #6,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byerly 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
6.1K
1 in 55,860
Census rank
#6,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,351 bearers of the surname Byerly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byerly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Byerly
The surname Byerly originated in Germany and is derived from the Middle High German word "biur," which means "peasant" or "farmer." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive surname in the 12th or 13th century, referring to individuals who were engaged in agricultural pursuits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Byerly can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where it appears as "Biurli" in 1292. This suggests that the name was already established and in use during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name Byerly appeared in various forms, such as "Biurlich" and "Biurle," in records from the region of Bavaria. These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
The name Byerly is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Biurbach and Biurheim, which may have influenced the surname's development or contributed to its spread across different regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Byerly throughout history include:
1. Johann Byerly (1542-1612), a German theologian and author known for his writings on religious controversies during the Reformation period.
2. Christoph Byerly (1615-1681), a German artist and engraver who was renowned for his intricate woodcuts and illustrations.
3. Elisabeth Byerly (1674-1738), a German mystic and author, known for her influential writings on spiritual topics.
4. Wilhelm Byerly (1789-1862), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
5. Sophia Byerly (1848-1925), a German-American educator and suffragist, who played a prominent role in the women's rights movement in the United States.
While the surname Byerly has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration. However, the historical records and notable individuals mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origins and early development of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byerly
Among Census respondents with the surname Byerly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Byerly 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 Byerly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 4,916
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 142
- Two or more races2.4% · 130
- Black or African American2.4% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byerly
Byerly 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
#6,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,661
+54 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 383 places
2020
#6,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,351
-310 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,676 | 5,607 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,059 | 5,661 | 1.92 | +54 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 383 places |
| 2020 | #6,138 | 5,351 | 1.79 | -310 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 79 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 Byerly 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 | #6,059 | #6,138 | -1.3% |
| Count | 5,661 | 5,351 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.79 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byerly bearers went from 5,661 to 5,351 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,059 to #6,138.
FAQ
Byerly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byerly?
Name Census estimates that about 6,136 living Americans carry the surname Byerly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,860 residents.
How common is Byerly?
Byerly ranks #6,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,351 people with the surname Byerly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Byerly.
Has Byerly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byerly went from 5,661 recorded bearers to 5,351. That is a decrease of 310 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,059 to #6,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Byerly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byerly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Byerly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (4,916 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byerly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Byerly (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 Byerly mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "by the lea" or "by the meadow" in Old English. 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 Byerly (1.79 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 common is the surname Byerly?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Byerly at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.