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

Demir, 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 Demir surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Demir in America

Demir is the 38640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Demir surname appeared 572 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Demir.

We can also compare 2010 data for Demir 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 Demir

The surname DEMIR is of Turkish origin, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Turkish word "demir," which means "iron" or "steel." The name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for blacksmiths or metalworkers.

In the early Ottoman Empire, which ruled over much of modern-day Turkey and the Balkans, skilled metalworkers were highly valued and often bore the name DEMIR as a signifier of their profession. The earliest recorded instances of the surname appear in Ottoman tax records and registry documents from the 14th and 15th centuries.

One of the earliest known bearers of the DEMIR surname was Hacı Demir, a renowned blacksmith who lived in the city of Bursa during the reign of Sultan Murad II (1421-1451). Hacı Demir's metalwork was said to be of exceptional quality, and he was commissioned to forge weapons and armor for the Ottoman court.

Another notable figure was Mahmud Demir, a 16th-century Ottoman poet and calligrapher from the city of Edirne. His works, which include poetry collections and calligraphic manuscripts, are preserved in the collections of various libraries in Turkey and abroad.

During the 18th century, the DEMIR surname gained prominence in the Black Sea region of Turkey, particularly in the cities of Trabzon and Samsun. One influential family from this era was the Demir family of Trabzon, who were involved in maritime trade and shipping.

In more recent history, Hüseyin Rahmi Demir (1873-1945) was a renowned Turkish writer and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of the Turkish short story genre. His works, which often explored social issues and captured the daily lives of ordinary people, were influential in shaping modern Turkish literature.

Another notable figure was Fevzi Demir (1912-1991), a Turkish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from 1963 to 1965. He played a significant role in Turkey's foreign policy during the Cold War era.

Throughout history, the DEMIR surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, writers, and statesmen. While its origins can be traced back to the metalworking profession, the name has since transcended its occupational roots and become a widespread surname across Turkey and the Turkish diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Demir

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!