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

Byers, 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 Byers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Byers in America

Byers is the 1087th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Byers surname appeared 32,174 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Byers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Byers 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 Byers

The surname Byers finds its origins in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "byre," which referred to a cow shed or a barn. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely associated with the occupation of maintaining or overseeing such structures.

The earliest documented reference to the name Byers can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to the 13th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Byers, or variations such as Byre and Byres, living in the Yorkshire area during that time period.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Byers was John Byers, a Scottish clergyman born in 1625. He served as the minister of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh and played a significant role in the religious affairs of Scotland during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Byers appeared in the parish records of Northumberland, England. One such entry mentions the baptism of William Byers in the village of Warkworth in 1712. This suggests that the surname had spread from its Yorkshire roots to neighboring counties.

Another notable individual with the Byers surname was James Byers, an American politician born in 1776 in Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1815, representing the state of Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, the Byers surname gained prominence in literary circles with the English poet and novelist Robert Byers (1828-1902). He was known for his romantic poetry and his novel "The Heir of Redclyffe," which was a popular work during the Victorian era.

The name Byers has also been associated with notable figures in the field of academia. One such example is William Byers, an American educator and journalist born in 1834 in Ohio. He founded the Rocky Mountain News, one of the oldest newspapers in Colorado, and played a significant role in the early educational system of the state.

Throughout its history, the surname Byers has been subject to various spellings and variations, including Byre, Byres, Byer, and Byers. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects, clerical errors in record-keeping, or personal preferences of individuals bearing the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Byers

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

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

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

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