2000
#3,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.15
Rare Last name
Geer
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or used spears, derived from the Old English "gār".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,230 Americans carry the last name Geer. That puts it at #4,260 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,135 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geer 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 Geer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,135
Census rank
#4,260
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,049 bearers of the surname Geer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4260th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geer, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geer
The surname Geer has its origins in the Low Countries, specifically in the regions of present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that the name Geer is derived from the Old Dutch word "ghere," which means "spear" or "javelin." This could indicate that the original bearers of this surname may have been soldiers, hunters, or individuals associated with weapons or warfare.
Another possibility is that the name Geer is related to the Dutch word "geer," which refers to a triangular piece of land or a wedge-shaped field. This could suggest that the name was initially used to identify someone who lived near or owned such a triangular plot of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Geer can be traced back to the 14th century in various Dutch and Flemish records. For example, a man named Jan Gheer was mentioned in a document from the city of Bruges in 1375.
In the 15th century, the surname Geer appears in the records of the Duchy of Brabant, which was part of the Low Countries at that time. A notable figure from this period was Hendrik Geer (c. 1440-1510), a wealthy merchant and alderman from the city of Antwerp.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Geer spread to other parts of Europe, particularly to Germany and England, as a result of migration and trade. One notable Englishman with this surname was Sir Edward Geer (1570-1648), a successful merchant and philanthropist from London.
In the 18th century, the Geer surname gained recognition in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Gerrit Geer, who was born in New York in 1725 and served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Another significant figure was Ambrose Geer (1783-1869), an American inventor and industrialist from Connecticut. He is credited with developing the first successful water-proof hat, which became widely popular in the early 19th century.
The 19th century saw the surname Geer flourish in various parts of Europe and North America. One notable bearer was Edmond Geer (1849-1923), a Belgian artist and painter who was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Flanders.
In the literary world, Cornelia Geer (1875-1966) was an American writer and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of nature, love, and spirituality.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geer
Among Census respondents with the surname Geer, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Geer 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 Geer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 6,854
- Black or African American6.1% · 487
- Two or more races4.3% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geer
Geer 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
#4,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,717
+208 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#4,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,049
-668 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,834 | 8,509 | 3.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,074 | 8,717 | 2.96 | +208 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #4,260 | 8,049 | 2.69 | -668 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 186 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 Geer 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 | #4,074 | #4,260 | -4.6% |
| Count | 8,717 | 8,049 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.69 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geer bearers went from 8,717 to 8,049 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 186 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,074 to #4,260.
FAQ
Geer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geer?
Name Census estimates that about 9,230 living Americans carry the surname Geer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,135 residents.
How common is Geer?
Geer ranks #4,260 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,049 people with the surname Geer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Geer.
Has Geer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geer went from 8,717 recorded bearers to 8,049. That is a decrease of 668 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,074 to #4,260.
What does the Census say about the background of Geer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geer, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Geer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (6,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Geer (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 Geer mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or used spears, derived from the Old English "gār". 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 Geer (2.69 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 are called Geer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Geer is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.