2000
#1,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.60
Uncommon Last name
Byers
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "beo-cere," meaning "bee-keeper" or "producer of beeswax."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,643 Americans carry the last name Byers. That puts it at #1,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byers 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 Byers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,616
Census rank
#1,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,082 bearers of the surname Byers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byers, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byers
Among Census respondents with the surname Byers, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Byers 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 Byers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 24,257
- Black or African American13.3% · 4,146
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,314
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 997
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 208
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byers
Byers 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
#1,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,174
+875 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 10.91
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,082
-1,092 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 10.40
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,022 | 31,299 | 11.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,087 | 32,174 | 10.91 | +875 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,112 | 31,082 | 10.40 | -1,092 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 25 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 Byers 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 | #1,087 | #1,112 | -2.3% |
| Count | 32,174 | 31,082 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 10.91 | 10.40 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byers bearers went from 32,174 to 31,082 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,087 to #1,112.
FAQ
Byers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byers?
Name Census estimates that about 35,643 living Americans carry the surname Byers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,616 residents.
How common is Byers?
Byers ranks #1,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,082 people with the surname Byers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Byers.
Has Byers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byers went from 32,174 recorded bearers to 31,082. That is a decrease of 1,092 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,087 to #1,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Byers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byers, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Byers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (24,257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (13.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Byers (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 Byers mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "beo-cere," meaning "bee-keeper" or "producer of beeswax." 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 Byers (10.40 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 have the last name Byers?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Byers at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.