2000
#8,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Confer
Derived from Middle English, an occupational surname for a treasurer or keeper of accounts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,800 Americans carry the last name Confer. That puts it at #9,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Confer 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
3.8K
1 in 90,199
Census rank
#9,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,314 bearers of the surname Confer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Confer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Confer
The surname Confer is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria, during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "koner," meaning a trader or merchant. This suggests that the name was likely adopted by individuals involved in the trading profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Confer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a certain "Johannes Confer" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the town of Nürnberg in 1271.
The Confer name also appears in the Nürnberger Bürgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Nuremberg, where a "Cunrat Confer" is listed as a resident in 1397. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the region during the late Middle Ages.
During the 16th century, the name Confer was prevalent in the town of Memmingen, located in the Bavarian region of Swabia. Notable individuals with this surname from that time include Hans Confer (1510-1585), a respected goldsmith and member of the town council, and his son, Matthias Confer (1547-1613), who served as a parish priest in the nearby village of Ottobeuren.
In the 17th century, the Confer name gained prominence in the city of Augsburg, where a family of prominent merchants and bankers bearing this surname resided. One of the most notable figures was Johann Jakob Confer (1638-1702), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the city's development.
Another notable individual with the surname Confer was Johann Philipp Confer (1725-1799), a renowned architect from Mannheim who designed several notable buildings in the region, including the Mannheim Palace and the Basilica of the Assumption in Heidelberg.
Throughout its history, the Confer surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. While the name has evolved and spread to other parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the medieval German traders and merchants who adopted it as a means of identification.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Confer
Among Census respondents with the surname Confer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Confer 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 Confer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 3,031
- Two or more races3.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 70
- Black or African American1.9% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Confer
Confer 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
#8,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,657
+224 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 162 places
2020
#9,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,314
-343 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,789 | 3,433 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,951 | 3,657 | 1.24 | +224 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 162 places |
| 2020 | #9,410 | 3,314 | 1.11 | -343 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 459 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 Confer 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 | #8,951 | #9,410 | -5.1% |
| Count | 3,657 | 3,314 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.11 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Confer bearers went from 3,657 to 3,314 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,951 to #9,410.
FAQ
Confer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Confer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,800 living Americans carry the surname Confer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,199 residents.
How common is Confer?
Confer ranks #9,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,314 people with the surname Confer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Confer.
Has Confer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Confer went from 3,657 recorded bearers to 3,314. That is a decrease of 343 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,951 to #9,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Confer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Confer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Confer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (3,031 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Confer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Confer (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 Confer mean?
Derived from Middle English, an occupational surname for a treasurer or keeper of accounts. 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 Confer (1.11 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 Confer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Confer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.