2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Firer
A surname derived from the occupation of a shooter or gunman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Firer. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Firer 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Firer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Firer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Firer
The surname Firer is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "feuer," which means "fire," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have worked as firefighters or had some connection to fire-related occupations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firer can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in southwestern Germany, where a certain Hans Firer was mentioned in an entry dated 1587. Another early reference to the name appears in the Bürgerbuch (citizen registry) of Ulm, a city in Baden-Württemberg, where a Johann Firer was listed as a resident in 1612.
In the 17th century, the Firer name began to spread across other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this time include Johann Georg Firer (1632-1705), a German Baroque composer and organist who served at the court of Württemberg, and Anna Maria Firer (1685-1760), a German embroiderer and textile artist whose works are preserved in various museums.
The 18th century saw the Firer name gain further prominence, with several individuals achieving recognition in various fields. One such person was Johann Friedrich Firer (1718-1796), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Göttingen and published influential works on ethics and natural law. Another notable figure was Maria Anna Firer (1756-1828), a German painter and miniaturist who was celebrated for her portraits of nobility and royalty.
In the 19th century, the Firer surname continued to be carried by individuals of note, including Karl Firer (1815-1892), a German architect and urban planner who designed several landmark buildings in Berlin and other cities, and Heinrich Firer (1838-1912), a German industrialist and philanthropist who established a successful textile manufacturing company and funded several educational and charitable initiatives.
As the Firer name spread across Europe and beyond, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Fyrer, Firrer, and Fürrer, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its association with fire and fire-related occupations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firer
Among Census respondents with the surname Firer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Firer 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 Firer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Firer
Firer 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 10,258 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 Firer 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 | #153,769 | #143,511 | 6.7% |
| Count | 106 | 118 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Firer bearers went from 106 to 118 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 10,258 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #143,511.
FAQ
Firer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Firer?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Firer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Firer?
Firer ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Firer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Firer.
Has Firer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Firer went from 106 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 12 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Firer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Firer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Firer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Firer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Firer (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 Firer mean?
A surname derived from the occupation of a shooter or gunman. 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 Firer (0.04 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 share the surname Firer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.